


The Mate

by rosalyn_shields



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, F/M, POV Original Female Character, POV Steve Rogers, Past Brainwashing, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:14:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24517528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosalyn_shields/pseuds/rosalyn_shields
Summary: As far as anyone knows Steve Rogers downed the Valkyrie and woke up 66 years later after being frozen in the Artic missing his date with Peggy Carter. No one knew the secrets he kept from the world and the government. The first being that he was an Alpha Werewolf. The second being that he had a Mate and it wasnotPeggy Carter.
Relationships: Darcy Lewis/Brock Rumlow, James "Bucky" Barnes/Original Female Character(s), Steve Rogers/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 51





	1. New York 1940

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This has some background on the Shifter universe and Steve.

** Chapter 1 - New York 1940 **

  
The year is 1940 and the Allied Forces are being overrun and it’s only a matter of time before the United States will join the rest of the world in this new war. The last war, the so called “war to end all wars” took many good men, women and children. Regardless if you were human, mutant or shifter no one was spared the loss of loved ones. The loss of Steve’s Da in the war almost cost his Ma, his mate, her life.

She was pregnant with him at the time and the news caused her to go into premature labor. This brought on complications that had almost killed them both even with her accelerated healing as a Wolf and the Mate of the Pack Leader and as the Alpha Female of the New York Wolf Pack they both barely survived. Once he was out of the womb he could no longer share his Ma’s accelerated healing so his underdeveloped lungs started to heal at a normal human rate. 

This triggered a variety of health problems throughout his childhood. Perhaps had his lungs had more time to develop he would have probably avoided the majority if not all of his health issues but it wasn’t meant to be. Fate had other ideas. So despite being the son of the former Alpha Male and Pack Leader of the New York Pack he wasn’t expected to survive infancy much less the shift at 25 but his Ma always said that he was her little fighter. 

He had always been a stubborn shit and he never stopped fighting whether it was his many illnesses or bullies in the street, he never stopped fighting. While his Ma managed to survive his birth she was never quite the same after the loss of her Mate. Luckily he got 19 years with her before she passed on and joined his Da, her mate in the afterlife. Thankfully, he had Bucky, Kaitlyn and Rosalyn to help him through the worst time of his life, even when he had nothing he always had them. 

Especially since they were all born within a year of each other and all of their families were members of the NY Pack. Bucky was the oldest born in March of 1917, Steve was born next in July of 1918. Following Steve was the cousins Rosalyn and Kaitlyn, Rosalyn who was born in August and Kaitlyn who was born in September. Most of the parents discouraged their female cubs from being around Steve due to him being so sickly. 

It was believed that he would never be able to survive to even attempt the shift and even if he managed to survive that long he wouldn’t survive the shift in order to take a Mate. Kaitlyn and Rosalyn had never cared about what other people thought, not even their parents. So they grew up together getting into all kinds of trouble while trying to stay out of the Pack’s way as much as possible. After Steve’s Da passed on Bucky’s Pa took over. 

He became the new Pack Leader and Alpha Male of the New York Pack. Rosalyn’s dad stepped up to be the Second in Command.Although they were constantly watched as the Pack looked for early signs of the shift they were mostly left to their own devices. Things such as newly acquired abilities more accurately a manifestation of mental or physical abilities. This would mark them as potential Alphas like their parents before them. 

Since they were raised within the Pack, they weren’t raised quite the same as their human counterparts. So they weren’t raised with the same morals and mindsets, things such as nudity and casual sex were pretty common within the Pack. At least until they find their Mate. Once you find your Mate, you tend to get very protective and territorial especially towards potential rivals.

They all grew up with stories on finding the one true Mate and being magically linked to them in a double-sided bond. This magical link or bond that allows you to be mentally and sometimes physically connected to your mate. Every Mating Bond is different depending on how strong the magical link is between the Mates. In some cases it's only a light mental connection where you barely feel your mate and can tell that they are alive or dead. 

In other cases you can communicate telepathically or feel what each other is feeling. In some extreme cases the magical link between Mates is so tight that you can feel them at all times and actually have to learn how to block each other out. There are also some cases of Alpha pairings being able to borrow each other’s abilities. To be able to pull on them to heal, fight or to send out distress signals. 

Some of the tighter bonds have Mates using each other's abilities regularly as if they are your own. The extreme cases are very rare, in most cases you can feel your mate and pull on their abilities in emergencies. The one thing that is the same for all Mating Bonds is the possibility of Cubs. Mates and Cubs are some of the most important things to the Pack, they are sacred. Those born with the _wolf gene_ cannot catch any diseases and cannot get pregnant or get others pregnant until they are of age. 

For the shifter kind they reach the age of maturity at the age of 25. Regardless if they can shift or not at the age of 25 they are capable of reproducing and have Cubs. Most of the females with the _wolf gene_ end up having a hard time conceiving despite turning of age. The healers theorize that it has something to do with shifting every full moon makes it hard for the body to carry cubs. So making cubs, expanding and strengthening the Pack is a high priority. 

The Mated female wolves are more likely to get pregnant due to the magic that binds Mates together. Being mated aids them in whelping healthy cubs to help strengthen the Pack. Also, Alpha females are more likely to be able to carry cubs to term since they do not have to shift as often. There are also human and wolf pairings, human pairings with the _wolf gene_ rarely result in cubs. If they do end up conceiving the _wolf gene_ is usually dominant. 

Those who don’t shift at 25 actually have an easier time getting pregnant especially with another non-shifter with the _wolf gene_. When a non-shifter is with a human the cubs still have a _wolf gene_ but it ends up being recessive since the more diluted the bloodline is the less likely it is to produce a wolf. Of course there is always the wildcard with a small amount of the _wolf gene_ surviving the change but it's a pretty rare occurrence.

Steve, Bucky, Rosalyn and Kaitlyn were all the product of an Alpha Mated Pair so the likelihood of them shifting once they reach 25 was extremely high. Growing up with Bucky, Rosalyn and Kaitlyn was like being in their own little pack. They always got into all kinds of trouble running all around Brooklyn. Rosalyn and Kaitlyn were Steve and Bucky’s first and second kisses at a fairly young age. 

Steve had always felt drawn to Rosalyn but he had just seen her as another sister or cousin for years. It was until they reached their mid-teens they stopped seeing each other as siblings and their hormones really started to kick in. It wasn’t until they were around 17 or 18 that things between them started to escalate from that innocent kissing. They ended up taking those final steps and started to experiment with sexual relationships with each other. 

Just like human teenagers during that time they got a little sex crazed, but humans managed to hide it better as it was appropriate for the time period. It was also around that time that several Pack families started to dangle their females in front of Bucky. Bucky was the current Pack Leader’s son and was extremely likely to shift and become an Alpha. Due to this a lot of families wanted their females to be his Mate. This caused Rosalyn and Kaitlyn to get a little territorial.

The girls had a lot of fun running off all of those females until they gave up especially when they were at the Dance Hall. Steve will always remember that first time they met up with Rosalyn and Kaitlyn at the Dance Hall for a night of dancing. It was the first time they had ever really seen them all dolled up since most Pack events are in clothing that can get torn or ripped. Bucky already had a circle of admirers. 

Some were from the Pack’s families and some were human dames from the neighborhood. Steve on the other hand was standing off to the side since most dames don’t exactly want to dance with a guy they can step on. It had been really grating on his nerves that dames couldn’t see past his slight body. Then the girls arrived. They caused quite the stir among the humans. Not that they noticed. 

Kaitlyn just walked straight up to Bucky who was staring at her in shock and grabbed his hand. She pulled him away from his many admirers and onto the dance floor for a dance. Steve figured that Bucky was so stunned by her beauty that he never even entertained a thought to stop her. Kaitlyn was dressed in a pretty blue dress that matched Bucky’s eyes. Her naturally curly brown hair was down and framed her face. 

After laughing a little at Bucky’s _stunned_ expression... Steve _finally_ saw Rosalyn, she was dressed in a deep red dress that complimented her black hair and startling blue eyes. Her usually straight hair was done up in curls and pinned back out of her face. She looked beautiful. Rosalyn was his first dance and they danced almost every dance that night. The exception was the two dances she shared with Bucky and Kaitlyn. 

Several different fellas walked up to her throughout the night asking her to dance and while she was polite to each of them she still rejected each one, calling Steve her date for the night. A few fellas tried to push, upset with the rejection but it didn’t faze Rosalyn. Rosalyn wasn’t above violence especially since they were raised in it and was taught self-defense but she didn’t want to ruin her dress. So when Steve asked her why she didn’t dance with those other fellas that were more suited to her she just scoffed before telling him.

“I’m here to dance with you, not those other fellas. Bucky is lucky he made me promise to save him a dance.” 

Steve fell a little bit in love with her that night and never wanted the night to end. He figured Rosalyn felt the same because when it was time for the night to end, it didn’t. They spent the night together. They were each other's firsts. Strangely enough their families Pack involvement didn’t really affect them until after Steve’s Ma passed on when he was 19. After about 6 months of her passing Rosalyn and Kaitlyn were sent off to Finishing school in Europe for Charm and Beauty. 

If by a stroke of fate Rosalyn and Kaitlyn don’t shift their parents wanted them to be able to find a suitable husband. Bucky and Steve always suspected that their parents were trying to get Rosalyn and Kaitlyn away from them. Or more specifically away from him. Steve assumed that they were trying to avoid one of their little girls getting too attached to him. Him, the sickly kid who might not survive to even attempt the shift. 

Steve and Rosalyn had started to get serious and while they didn’t tell any of the parents he was sure they knew. Plus, it’s hard to hide a sexual relationship between couples when they can literally smell it on them. Also, Steve knew her parents would prefer her to match with Bucky instead of him. Even though there's a huge likelihood of him shifting they didn’t want to take the risk since he was always so sick. 

Steve never shared his suspicions with Bucky, Rosalyn and Kaitlyn. He knew that as soon as they found out they would refuse to go and make a big fuss and he just wanted them to have every opportunity available to them. Besides, on the offhand chance that everything works out he doesn’t want any parents to contest his suit... not that it would stop him _but_ it would make things easier. 

Once Rosalyn and Kaitlyn left, Bucky and Steve moved in together making ends-meet despite all of Steve’s illnesses throughout the year. Bucky and Steve sent and received letters to and from Rosalyn and Kaitlyn throughout the years. They would make sure to update each other on their lives, while it wasn’t the same they manage to make do. Rosalyn and Kaitlyn might have been their first loves but they would always be their best friends and they were never forgotten. 

Bucky had been working at the docks making good money while Steve worked at a couple of Pack run businesses. He found that Pack run businesses are less likely to fire him when one of his many illnesses takes him out of work for a period of time. A lot of those Pack run businesses also remembered Steve’s Pa and tried to help him out. He found over the years that unlike Bucky he couldn’t work the docks without getting sick. 

Too much exposure to wind and cold, not to mention the manual labor. The winter was always the worst time of year. His lungs couldn’t handle the cold very well and he would get sick pretty often but they managed to survive. Steve even managed to take an occasional Art class whenever they had the spare money which helped hone his artistic ability. This help led to a few commissions of paintings and murals throughout the year which was a huge help financially. 

While Bucky isn’t really into Art he’d join Steve at the school. He would talk to some of the other students learning about the different subjects offered at the school. Steve saw that Bucky was taking quite an interest in the different types of science. It was probably because of all of those Pulp fiction novels they’ve read throughout the years when Steve was sick in bed. It was quite the surprise when Rosalyn was shipped home from Finishing School. 

It had only been 3 years since they left and typically the school they were sent to was supposed to last 4 years. It became clearer to Steve when he saw Rosalyn again. She looked exactly the same even though she was 22 she still looked like she was 17 or 18. When they were together every day it hadn’t been noticeable but after being gone for a year it was obvious. She wasn’t aging. It wasn’t long after Rosalyn arrived back in New York that Kaitlyn was also shipped home from the Finishing School.


	2. New York 1940 (Rosalyn)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rosalyn comes back to New York

** Chapter 2 - New York 1940 (Rosalyn) **

  
Rosalyn didn’t really expect to be back in New York so soon since her Finishing school was supposed to last another year but it turned out the London Wolf Pack had been keeping tabs on her and Kaitlyn. They saw that Rosalyn hadn’t aged a day in 3 years, in fact she looked a little younger than 18, a fact they reported back to their family. They were also lurking around during an incident that helped them prove that one of them was showing magical abilities.

Rosalyn and Kaitlyn were in the park having tea when one of the tea glasses shattered in Kaitlyn’s hand. Rosalyn removed the remaining shard of glass from Kaitlyn’s hand, she was bleeding quite heavily. Rosalyn put her hand over the cut briefly before grabbing a handkerchief to help temper the wound except the wound wasn’t there anymore. Rosalyn didn’t really realize it at the time but she had healed the wound. 

She had actually thought that Kaitlyn had healed the wound herself but when she cut herself cleaning up the glass and healed instantly she had to face reality. She was healing like a wolf and while it was possible Kaitlyn was as well it was more likely that she healed the wound. As her parents were both Alphas she already had a 98% chance of shifting showing magical abilities early upped her chances. 

This meant she was 99% likely to shift when she finally turned 25 and was extremely likely to be an Alpha. Once the London Pack reported the incident to her parents they had sent for her so she went back to New York. Rosalyn was set up to attend _Wolf School_ which was supposed to give her the rules and regulations of the shifter community and Pack life. Things like _matings_ the history of our people were some of the hot topics that actually went into details. For instance, females have a lot of power in the mating process. 

Once a male finds someone they want to court for a possible mating they have to submit a suit. This typically involves some kind of challenge which is used to prove oneself worthy of their mate. This tends to bring out the wolf side and can lead to incidents of people being in the wolf mindset incapable of human rationale. The males have to prove that they can provide for their mate and protect their potential mate and any cubs they bring into the world. 

Sometimes, the female will lead them on a chase and make them prove themselves by catching the fleeing female. Once caught females will show their nurturing side and take care of their potential mate. If the female accepts the male’s suit then there is scent marking, nesting & denning but at any point during this time a female can deny the suit and the male would have to either give up or start all over again. 

Once the male goes into a rut and the female goes into heat it becomes harder to deny one’s instincts to mate. Sex is what cements the bond that ties you to your mate and that bond that forms is what allows the mates to draw on each other’s power and strength. This is also where cubs come into play, you are more likely to get pregnant with your mate due to the magic that bonds them together which allows the female to get pregnant and whelp healthy cubs.

They also go over the many types of relationships that exist with other shifters and those that can form with humans, from friendships to potential matings. Since most humans normally do not possess the ability to Mate, the magical bond through a mating is typically only one-way. Mating bonds are extremely complicated, depending on how powerful you are. There are plenty of cases of an Alpha female having several people mated to her if she’s powerful. 

Granted, having several people Mated to you didn’t not necessarily mean you were Mated to them. So, having someone Mated to you but not to them would mean they could theoretically tap into your abilities but you wouldn’t be able to tap into theirs. In any case there are two types of shifters in the community pure and bitten. Pure wolves are those cubs that are born of two shifter parents which for us is normally two wolves. 

Sometimes you can get a mating of two different shifter species and there’s a 50% chance of their cubs shifting into either parents animal. Bitten wolves are those that were born human and were bitten and turned into a shifter. This is very rare as most humans do not survive the change and their bodies rips itself apart. So it's a huge risk to attempt to turn people, especially those who aren’t already aware of shifters' existence. 

So shifters have to take great care not to infect humans on a whim. Occasionally you get a human family member that is willing to take the risk since having the gene makes it somewhat easier. Or a shifter mated to a human that wants to take the risk but only about 35% of those bitten survive the change. There are also a small percentage of those who survive that end up being feral and have to be put down.

We are _extremely_ contagious while in wolf form and can infect someone through biting or scratching. Shifters have the possibility of one of three different power levels Alphas, Betas and Omegas. Alphas comprise about 10% of the population of both bitten and pure shifters. They are also the most powerful of the shifters. Alphas can shift outside of the moon’s influence, but they still have to shift during the first day of the full moon and spend at least an hour in wolf form. 

It's very draining not to shift and can mess with your natural magic making it hard to heal, use illusions or other magic. They also typically have at least one Alpha level power. The more powerful Alphas can have more than one Alpha power, they can also live up to centuries. Alphas can also have more than one mate bonded to them, though they are more commonly one-way bonds. 

Betas can make up to about 80-85% of the shifter community and are typically required to shift two out of the three days of the full moon’s lunar cycle. The Betas on the more powerful side are still required to shift at least one day of the full moon’s cycle. They can have 1-2 mates and/or 1-2 one-way mating bonds. Omega shifters are the lowest level and have to shift all three days of the full moon’s lunar cycle. They make up the final 5-10% of the shifter population. 

They can form one-sided mating bonds to Alphas, Betas omegas and/or humans but humans are less likely to form a bond with a shift. Either way a double-sided mating bond is less common but will last for life. So human and wolf pairings rarely result in cubs but if they do have cubs the wolf gene is normally dominant. Also, not all cubs shift into wolves when they turn 25, there are a variety of things that go into whether or not shift will happen. 

If both parents are pure blooded shifters the odds of their kids shifting is in the high 90’s percentile. The parent’s power level also goes into the mix, adding into the inherent magic within the cub. Two pure Alphas’ cubs have a 98% likelihood of shifting, an Alpha/Beta pairing cub has a 97% chance, an Beta/Beta & Alpha/Omega pairing has a 96% chance, the Beta/Omega have a 95% chance and the Omega/Omega pairing have a 94% chance of shifting. 

If one of your parents were bitten the likelihood of shift goes down by 5%. So for a bitten/pure couple if they are both Alphas there is a 93% likelihood of shifting, while the Alpha/Beta pairing is at 92% and the Beta/Beta & Alpha/Omega pairings are at 91%. A Beta/Omega couple is likely to produce a cub with a 90% chance of shift and a Omega/Omega couple’s cub has a 89% chance of shifting.

For the rarer bitten wolf couple, their likelihood of producing a shifter child is in the high 80 percentile. An Alpha/Alpha pairing is at 88%, Alpha/Beta pairing is at 87%, and Beta/Beta is at 86%, if they are both Betas or an Alpha/Omega pair then it's at 86%. A Beta/Omega couple’s cub is at 85% and an Omega/Omega level couple is at 84%. Once you add in humans to the mix the odds of shifting on 25th birthday go down quite a bit. 

When she arrived she also had to attend _Alpha Training_ since she was extremely likely to become an Alpha. In the class they talk about Alpha traits, responsibilities and abilities. Shifting since the stronger they are the more control they have which includes partially shifting at will. This allows the Alpha to access their claws or teeth during self-defense or in a battle. Ironically, Alpha Training is where she ran into Bucky again. 

She had sent Steve a letter letting them know that she was coming back to New York but she hadn’t seen either of them before that first Alpha class. Her parents had been doing everything they could to keep her busy so she didn’t see them, or more accurately so that she couldn’t see Steve. Bucky had already been in the class for a year after showing inhuman strength. The big thing for him was learning how to control his strength. He was constantly breaking doors and crushing glasses, forks and spoons. 

Rosalyn also got to consult the Pack healer as she was slowly able to heal very minor wounds. Rosalyn and Bucky got along like gangbusters, it was like no time had passed and they were the best of friends again. This caused their families to start plotting since Bucky’s father was the current Pack Leader and Rosalyn’s was his second in command. They seemed to figure that Bucky and Rosalyn would be perfect for each other since they already had so much history. 

Rosalyn finally got to see Steve at the end of the week when he showed up to pick up Bucky from Alpha class. Rosalyn was ecstatic as she had missed both Steve and Bucky dearly when she was in England. Also, since Kaitlyn was still there she really needed the moral support. The moment she spotted Steve she took off forgetting all of her _ladylike_ manners and jumped straight into his arms. 

“Stevie! I missed you!” Rosalyn exclaimed almost running over Steve. She wrapped him up in a huge hug enjoying the feeling of being in his arms.

“Rosie. I missed you too, Sweetheart.”

“ _Rosalyn Elizabeth Shields_! What are you doing? You are a _lady_ , start acting like one.”

“Sorry mother.” Rosalyn told her mother before releasing Steve before shooting Steve and Bucky a conspiring grin. 

It wasn’t long after that she found out that her family arranged for her to spend some quality _time_ with Bucky. They hoped we would start the courting process. Courting is the precursor to the Mating process that is very common before shifting. She could only imagine the look on both of their faces when they found out. She was sure hers was hilarious. She was so shocked but really she shouldn’t have been after her mother’s reaction to her hugging Steve. 

Now the family was gung-ho on finding out if Bucky and Rosalyn found each other agreeable enough to possibly become mates later. Rosalyn and Bucky agree to start _stepping out_ together to appease our families since they found each other agreeable enough. Unfortunately for their families Rosalyn and Bucky found that their personalities were too much alike for anything long term. However, _stepping out_ solved quite a bit of problems for each other. 

Since Bucky was the current Pack Leaders son who was showing magical abilities increasing his likelihood of being an Alpha other shifter families were starting to throw their females at him. They figured he would be the next Pack Leader and were trying to tempt Bucky with their females looking to bond into power. Rosalyn had several potential suitors both human and wolf that had started to come out of the woodwork. 

So when Rosalyn and Bucky agreed to _step out_ together they each got to play the possessive potential mate when it suited them. Bucky didn’t mind the female attention but some of the more aggressive females freaked him out. Rosalyn had a lot of fun running off the overly aggressive females especially since it brought out the Alpha female tendencies and they can sense that they are near a predator. 

Rosalyn found playing possessive potential mate amusing as both Rosalyn and Bucky weren’t particularly possessive over each other. While each of them are protective of each other and they can and do get jealous on occasion but it was never a possessive territorial level of mated pairs. Rosalyn never wanted to have a mate who was _pushy_ and persistent the way some suitors started to get. Fortunately, Bucky had no problem telling a pushy male to get lost.

As is required Rosalyn and Bucky always went out with a chaperone, more often than not it was Steve that went with them on these outings. Steve was considered an acceptable chaperon by society’s standards but in reality he was a horrible chaperon. Steve was a little shit that always got into trouble and Bucky had to pull him out of it pretty regularly. Steve mastered this cute sad innocent look that just fooled all of the adults human or shifter. 

It helped that he was _maybe_ 100 pounds soaking wet, he was a Doberman in a Chihuahua's body. He mastered the ability to talk around things, he keeps all information given as close to the truth as possible since shifters were able to smell lies. He was also the only person that they knew that could backtalk adults and they just found it cute. In some cases they would double date, Bucky always finding a dame for Steve. 

More times than not this dame would take a liking to Bucky instead of Steve. Rosalyn would end up spending the double date with Steve instead of Bucky while he entertained Steve’s date. This never bothered Bucky or Rosalyn since they weren’t really _together_. So Steve and Rosalyn ended up spending a lot of time together despite Steve refusing to see Rosalyn as anything but _Bucky’s_ dame. 

This annoyed the bejeezus out of Rosalyn as her and Bucky were not even remotely committed to each other. They just wanted to have _fun_ and enjoy life before they become wolves and have to deal with Pack politics. Things started to heat up at the end of 1940 when Rosalyn started to receive letters from Kaitlyn talking about how she was starting to be able to create illusions. So, the family brings Kaitlyn home so that they all could be in _Wolf School_ and _Alpha Training_ together.


	3. New York 1941

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaitlyn returns to New York

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had to break this up into two parts since it ended up a lot longer then I anticipated. I also wanted to get this out today, but hopefully I will finish the next part tomorrow and have a new chapter for everyone.

** Chapter 3 - New York 1941 **

The beginning of the New Year marked the return of Kaitlyn to New York. She was immediately ushered into _Wolf School_ and _Alpha Class_ with Rosalyn and Bucky. Steve was still working full time within the Pack businesses while they attended their shifter classes. It didn’t stop them from spending all their off time together. Once everyone was freed of their obligations Steve and Bucky would meet up with Rosalyn and Kaitlyn. 

If anyone _asked_ , it was to complete one of their _many_ double dates as Kaitlyn and Steve were to be Rosalyn and Bucky’s chaperones. Of course, it didn’t take long for Kaitlyn and Bucky to go off on their own leaving Rosalyn and Steve trailing behind. They would often go dancing and occasionally when they wanted to make a night of it, they went to the flickers and went to dinner. If they just wanted to have dinner, then they would have it either at Rosalyn and Kaitlyn’s or Bucky and Steve’s apartment. 

More often than not they would spend the day in the Park talking and horsing around as if they were young kids again. It took six months of several doubles for Rosalyn to break. She was so sick of Steve calling her Bucky’s girl. While she _loved_ Bucky, she’d _always_ love Bucky, but she wasn’t _in_ love with Bucky. Rosalyn _did_ have an extraordinarily strong feeling that _Kaitlyn_ was in fact _in_ love with Bucky. 

_She_ on the other hand _knew_ she loved Steve but wasn’t _quite_ sure if she was _in_ love with him. She felt extremely strong emotions for Steve, she just couldn’t quite figure out what all of them _were_ much less what they meant. She also couldn’t figure out what Steve felt. He was constantly commenting to them that Bucky was courting her. Was it to remind her that she had other obligations? Or was he _really_ reminding himself, so he didn’t act? She really didn’t know. 

Annoyance was a strong emotion that she constantly had especially since Steve was being a stubborn ass about the situation. He knew they were only stepping out to please their parents not because of romantic interest or feelings. So, Rosalyn decided to mess with Steve. Turned out she had quite the devious side that was just _waiting_ to be tapped. So, she plotted. _Lust_ was also another strong emotion she constantly had and often it was because of Steve. 

Occasionally, she'd feel lust because of Bucky, you know since she wasn't _blind_. Bucky was quite the attractive male and would make a great mate, but they never really saw each other as something more than what they already were. Steve had quite a fair complexion with that Irish blood. So, she knew if he blushed it would show up quite easily. His entire face and down his neck can turn red. 

This was something that she planned on fully using to her advantage as much as possible. Especially in public where he couldn’t reprimand her without drawing attention to both of their actions and words. It would be _improper_ , she thought with a smirk. Steve _hated_ to be improper. Kaitlyn and Rosalyn were to meet up with Steve and Bucky so they could go to the flickers to see _The Maltese Falcon_. They had heard it was a swell flick. 

Rosalyn and Kaitlyn got dressed up as per the usual when they go to the flickers. The flickers were always an event, but Rosalyn took care of what she wore with both her undergarments and dress. She had a plan on how she was going to mess with her Stevie. Well she had some semblance of a plan on how she wanted to mess with Steve, but she wasn’t above winging it if she needed to. 

Kaitlyn took one look at Rosalyn who was putting on her stockings and fastening her garters and grinned with amusement. It was clear from the specific brassiere and garter set that Rosalyn chose that she wanted to torment Steve as much as possible. She had such a _vicious_ mischievous streak when provoked and _she_ was provoked. Steve insisting on Rosalyn and Bucky belonging together was starting to get to Rosalyn. Truthfully, it was getting to her as well. Bucky was _hers_. 

"Planning on giving Stevie an asthma attack?" Kaitlyn asked Rosalyn.

"Maybe, just a little one." Rosalyn responds with a grin as she puts on her dress. 

"Please try to not kill Steve, Rose."

"Of course not. I need him alive for what I have planned when he finally stops being pigheaded." Rosalyn gives Kaitlyn a naughty grin to convey _exactly_ what kind of plans she means.

In most cases their clothes were extremely practical and comfortable, they didn’t use material that would be ruined or stained too easily. All their clothes must last as long as possible as they couldn't afford to replace clothes on a whim. They both regularly repaired them as they wore and tore. Even clothing that is set aside for their double date nights are normally very practical. The blue dress Rosalyn picked was hemmed a couple of inches shorter than what would normally be acceptable. 

It wasn’t so short that she would get talked to by the older ladies in the community or be called a floozy, but it wasn’t the normal length she used for her dresses. It was also cut in such a way that flattered her figure and long legs. At the theater they made sure to get decent seats in the back, but they were in the center of the screen. From right to left was Bucky, Kailyn, Rosalyn and Steve. Rosalyn usually sat between Bucky and Steve, but Kaitlyn had a general idea of what she was plotting. 

Rosalyn let herself have a small smile as the News Reels started up and she _casually_ shifted in her seat. There was just enough light for Steve to notice he shift and do a _double take_ as he noticed her dress shifted just enough to give him a _glimpse_ of one of her garters that were holding up her stockings. Rosalyn turned her head a little bit to watch Steve’s face as it started to heat up. He just kept _staring_ at her garters. 

Rosalyn found this funny since it wasn’t as if Steve hadn’t seen her in much less. Even if it had been several years since then she knows he didn't forget what she looked like. She hasn't changed much in the past 5 years since they had been intimate. She pretty much looked exactly the same. Plus, the shifter community was casual about nudity as they are _constantly_ taking off clothes to shift. 

She allowed herself a small smile before casually looked over at Steve as if she just noticed his attention on her legs. She called on her teaching from her finishing school to project modesty and embarrassment. So, she let out a small noise of embarrassment before shifting her dress back down to fully cover her before looking over at Steve not quite meeting his eyes.

“Sorry.” She whispered as Steve swallowed hard before giving her a tentative smile.

About 45 minutes into the movie Rosalyn started shifting in her set each time deliberately but briefly brushing her arm against Steve’s. Each time she felt him jump in his seat in surprise before turning bright red. At first, she pretended not to notice his reaction and kept her focus on the flick which was quite good. Finally, Rosalyn shifted again before deliberately brushing her arm against Steve’s a little longer than normal. 

When she felt him jump in his seat again Rosalyn turned her head towards him with a curious look as if just noticing his discomfort. She gave him an apologetic smile rubbing his arm as if in apology before shifting her attention back to the flick. After the flick ended, they went to dinner at a small diner that they loved that was in their neighborhood. Rosalyn and Kaitlyn sat on one side of the booth while Steve and Bucky sat on the other side. 

Rosalyn was right across from Steve so she couldn’t accidentally touch him as much as she wanted. Instead, Rosalyn gave Steve her complete attention whenever he spoke and made sure to give him as much eye contact as possible. It wasn’t hard. Rosalyn usually gave Steve her full attention when he spoke. She just made it more obvious than usual by maintaining eye contact with Steve whenever possible. 

Kaitlyn and Bucky watched on with amusement as Steve tried not to blush at Rosalyn’s attention. Bucky knew that Rosalyn always had Steve’s heart as she was his first love but he was being stubborn and self-sacrificing. By the time Bucky and Steve escorted Rosalyn and Kaitlyn home Steve’s face was almost at a permanent shade of pink. Once they reached the apartment Rosalyn opened the door and let Bucky and Kaitlyn inside raising an eyebrow at Bucky and Kaitlyn’s amusement. 

Rosalyn was fed up. She was _done_. Once Steve walked through the door, she shoved him up against the closed door, his size making it easy for her to manhandle him. Rosalyn grabbed his face looking into his eyes and laid one on him. She kissed him deep to make sure to show him _exactly_ how much she wanted him. She pressed her entire body up against him which allowed her to _feel_ exactly how she was affecting Steve. Rosalyn smiled before gently pulling away, smiling wider as Steve’s lips followed with a whine of displeasure.

“About time.” Bucky snarks breaking the moment as Kaitlyn giggles in the background.

“Fuck you, Buck.”

“Still waiting for your moment?” Rosalyn asked before pointedly looking at Kaitlyn.

“Rose!” Kaitlyn exclaims. 

“Sorry.” Rosalyn apologized. 

“Rose...” Steve started before Rosalyn interrupted as soon as she saw the look on his face.

“Steven Grant Rogers, if you are about to give me a speech about how I’m supposed to be with Bucky I’m going to do something that _you_ will regret.”

“Stevie, you know Rosie and I are only _stepping out_ to get our parents off our back. I’m sure once she tells them you guys are courtin’ they will be happy. I’ll have to deal with my parents nagging again but I’ll be okay.”

“Don’t worry Buck, Rose and I will chaperone your endless number of set-ups.” Steve told Bucky. Rosalyn looked at Kaitlyn before giving her a conspiring grin.

“Well, now that Kat doesn’t have to chaperone us Buck, Stevie and I can chaperone her dates as well. I know the neighborhood fellas have been asking about her, plus the interested parties in our shifter classes.”

“No.” Bucky responded shortly.

“No?” Steve asked.

“What do you mean, no?” Rosalyn asked Bucky in amusement as Kaitlyn started to turn red.

“Kaitlyn, will not be stepping out with any of those fellas.”

“ _James Buchanan Barnes_ , I _know_ you didn’t just talk about me like I’m not here. I know you did not just _declare_ that I will not be stepping out with any fellas when you have _no_ claim on me.”

Rosalyn and Steve watched in amusement as Bucky went very still at Kaitlyn’s anger as if he didn’t move then she wouldn’t find him. He was wrong. Rosalyn and Steve watched Kaitlyn rail at Bucky for 20 minutes before he grabbed her and planted one on her mid-word. It didn’t take long for Kaitlyn to melt into the kiss. Rosalyn smiled softly at Steve and gestured for them to leave. 

Thankfully, Steve and Bucky's apartment were only a couple of floors away as they all lived in a Pack run apartment building that was full of shifters and shifter families. It was convenient during times like these as they normally wouldn’t be allowed to be alone together in his apartment as it wasn’t proper. Once they reached the inside of his apartment Rosalyn grabbed Steve by his tie and kissed him deeply. 

Steve wheezed a little bit as they broke a part causing Rosalyn to bite her lip in worry, she didn’t want to give him an asthma attack. Steve smiled at her reassuringly loosening his tie to take off as he tried to get his breath back. He _never_ wanted to stop kissing her if he could help it. Steve leaned forward to kiss Rosalyn again smiling into her lips. Rosalyn grinned back at Steve before kissing him back as she took off his jacket tossing it onto the couch behind her. 

She then placed her right hand over his chest with her left hand was buried in his blonde locks pulling them closer together. Rosalyn could feel each stuttering breath Steve took and started to focus on Steve’s lungs. As they continued to kiss Steve started to breathe easier as all traces of the asthma attack disappeared. Rosalyn had never tried to actively heal someone much less while kissing them, but she was worried as she had been a witness to several of his asthma attacks over the years. 

She didn’t think it would work but she started to feel him starting to breathe easier, so she started to relax. There was no way to know if she just stopped this impending asthma attack or if she healed him of his asthma completely. She doubted she healed him completely. She wasn’t strong enough for something like that yet. Aside from the first instance she has only been able to heal during certain circumstances and when strong emotions are involved. 

Rosalyn figured if… _when_ she shifted, she would be able to access her ability to heal much easier. Rosalyn broke the kiss with Steve taking a step back smiling a little as his lips tried to follow hers. Steve reached out to grab Rosalyn again intending on kissing her some more, but Rosalyn slipped out of his grasp. She took a few steps backwards without bothering to look. She had been in Steve and Bucky’s apartment so much that she could navigate it blindfolded. 

"Rose…" Steve started with a slight whine to his voice. 

“You comin’?” Rosalyn asked, smiling softly at Steve while continuing to walk backwards towards Steve's room.


	4. New York 1941 (Rosalyn and Steve)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things steam up between Rosalyn and Steve

** Chapter 4 - Rosalyn and Steve **

“Rose…”

" _Yes_ , Stevie?" Rosalyn purred as she reached the door to Steve’s room.

Steve doesn't say anything as he starts to walk towards Rosalyn with an intense look on his face. He hadn't been with anyone since Rosalyn left about 5 years ago as most dames didn’t want to be with a shrimp of a guy like him. Rosalyn has always been special and he wanted her… _needed_ her desperately. The glimpses he got of her legs and stockings during the flick didn't help, he had been semi-erect all night. 

Steve finally reached her at his bedroom door instantly grabbing her head pulling her into another heated kiss. Rosalyn moaned into Steve’s mouth before licking his bottom lip to deepen the kiss. It didn't take long for him to become fully erect as he instinctively grabbed both of Rosalyn's hips pressing her into his door. He couldn’t help but grind his erection into her. Rosalyn was loving how much she was affecting him. 

“I think someone missed me.” Rosalyn whispered into Steve's ear as he let out a low groan.

“Oh sweetheart, you have _no_ idea.”

Rosalyn started trailing both of her hands down to slowly slide his suspenders off his shoulders, her mouth never leaving Steve’s. This caused his poorly fit dress pants to loosen a bit around his hips. She lightly brushed his chest before making her way down to gently cup his straining dick through his pants before squeezing it. Steve groaned loudly into her mouth in pleasure before he thrusted into her hand, his tongue battling with hers.

Rosalyn brought one hand back up to the top of his chest as she felt his rapidly beating heart. She wanted to make sure she wasn’t about to cause him a heart attack or another asthma attack. After a brief assessment she lifted her head up and licked the tip of his nose playfully grinning at him while still grasping him causing him to smile back with a gasp. She could see the playful glint in his eyes and she _knew_ he would be paying her back later. 

Steve knew Rosalyn’s body quite well, he knew exactly which buttons to push. His hands moved from her waist to grip her ass causing Rosalyn to moan in pleasure giving Steve another deep kiss. She released Steve’s dick to start unbuttoning his dress shirt. He pulled her in close, grinding his dick into her core distracting her as she moaned into his lips. She brought him in closer to kiss as she considered ripping his shirt off. 

Buttons be damned but she didn’t want to spend time repairing it later. After a few moments Rosalyn finished unbuttoning his dress shirt. She pulled it out of his pants before stepping back to push it off his shoulders and down his arms. It fell to the floor without care leaving him in his plain white undershirt and pants. He reached around Rosalyn’s body to open the door to his room before she turned around to walk inside. 

Steve followed Rosalyn into his room with his hands on her hips once inside he pulled her close, wrapping her arms around her bringing her back along his chest. He brought his head down towards her neck brushing his lips up and down her neck before kissing it softly. He then bit down gently sucking causing Rosalyn to moan loudly as she shivered goosebumps breaking out up and down her body.  
She then proceeded to thrust her ass back grinding it back and forth onto Steve’s dick causing him to moan. Rosalyn felt Steve’s hands starting to roam from her hips, one hand thrusting into her hair and the other cupping her breast squeezing. It didn’t take long for Steve to turn Rosalyn around pulling her close as he reached for the zipper on her dress pulling it down slowly. Rosalyn looked into his beautiful blue eyes pupils blown with lust matching her own lust blown eyes. 

There was something else in his eyes that Rosalyn couldn’t quite place but made her feel warm inside. Rosalyn's hands went downwards grabbing Steve’s pants to unbutton and unzip as her need for him had started to become unbearable. She then took a step back allowing her dress and his pants to fall down their bodies. This leaves her in her brassiere, panties, garter belt and stockings and him in his undershirt and boxer shorts. 

“You gonna touch me Stevie?” Rosalyn asked with amusement in her voice as he just kept staring at her.

“ _May I_?”

“ _Please_ touch me Stevie, I _need_ you.”

Steve took a step forward pulling off his white undershirt before kissing her deeply. His tongue traced her bottom lip causing Rosalyn to whimper before Steve started walking Rosalyn back towards his bed. Once they reached the bed Steve dropped to his knees, Steve kissed her stomach before going lower, ghosting his mouth over her panties. Rosalyn shivered at the feeling of his hot breath before Steve ran his tongue over her core tasting how wet she was. 

Rosalyn ran her hands through his hair gripping hard when she felt his tongue. Steve moaned obscenely at her taste. He felt frantic as he reached for her garters undoing them quickly tossing them aside. He slowly removed each of her stockings, kissing and biting her thighs as they were revealed to him. He brought one leg up over his shoulder to suck a mark on her inner thigh causing her to flood her panties.

“I love your legs, doll.” 

“I know Stevie, why do you think you kept getting flashes of my stockings all night?” Rosalyn told him, smirking.

“You sneaky _sneaky_ minx.” Steve told her before sucking a deeper mark on her inner thigh. Rosalyn arched her back before reaching back to take off her brassiere as it was getting too restricting as Steve switched thighs to suck another mark.

“I love seeing _my_ mark on you Rose.” 

“Don’t worry Stevie I’ll return the favor later.”

Steve licked another stripe up Rosalyn’s core moving her panties to the side so he could taste her fully. This caused Rosalyn to arch and moan gripping her breasts in pleasure. Steve growled before sucking Rosalyn’s clit into his mouth. Steve proceeded to drag her panties down letting them fall to her feet. She stepped out of them kicking them off to the side before falling back to bounce back onto Steve’s bed. 

Steve removed his boxer shorts before following Rosalyn onto his bed getting comfortable between her legs. Steve started giving her teasing kisses along her the seams of her thighs going closer and closer to where she needed him. Rosalyn gave out a low growl at Steve for his teasing. Rosalyn narrowed her eyes at Steve as he took one long lick along the lips of her pussy keeping eye contact causing her to jerk her hips up in surprise and pleasure.

“So good. You taste _so_ good, sweetheart,” Steve told her before he dived right back in. 

“Steeevie, _please_.”

Steve proceeded to lick, suck and nibble every inch of her pussy. Rosalyn hissed as he sucked on her clit hard, her hand grasping his hair urging him on. He had to hold down Rosalyn hips and she arched and thrashed. He grabbed her legs and put them over his shoulder going deeper into her pussy before shoving two fingers inside. Rosalyn screamed in pleasure arching her back as the added stimulation instantly pushed her into orgasm. Steve didn’t stop licking and sucking as Rosalyn’s release flooded his mouth. 

Her legs trembled as Steve lifted his head up from her core. His face glistening with her release covering the entire bottom half of his face. Steve licked his lips before he started to kiss up Rosalyn body sensually as she slowly recovered from her orgasm. Rosalyn kissed Steve deeply before moving down his neck to his shoulders sucking and leaving a dark mark on his shoulder making sure to mark him as hers. She could feel every inch of Steve’s body against her own. 

“Stevie, you gonna make me _yours_ again?” Rosalyn asked Steve. 

"Of course, Sweetheart. You _are_ mine." Steve growls.

Rosalyn grabbed Steve's dick stroking his length a couple of times before rubbing his swollen head around the lips of her core. Sick of the teasing Steve grabbed his dick out of Rosalyn's hand and aligned himself up. He slowly sunk his dick inch by inch in her wet heat. Rosalyn bit her lip at the stretch of her core's walls as he filled her deeply. While she had one lover after she left New York he wasn't nearly as long or as thick as Steve Rogers. 

Steve moaned softly as he finally as he bottomed out, wrapping his arms around Rosalyn bringing her in closer. Steve slowly started to rock against her causing her to feel every inch of him as he moved against her. Steve started slow as he wanted to make sure that he didn't have an asthma attack in the middle of sex. That tends to kill the mood but for some reason he felt great, he could breathe without any issues. 

He also wasn’t fucking Rosalyn he was making love to her as he love her, he had always loved her and he had never stopped loving her. Rosalyn pulled Steve down for a long and deep kiss as she started to feel him speeding up. He also started going deep and deeper inside her. Rosalyn kept arching her back and moaning loudly at every thrust as she felt Steve hitting that spot deep inside her. 

She couldn’t keep her moans quite, just as Steve couldn’t keep his groans quite. The deep thrusts caused the metal frame of Steve's bed to start hitting the wall. As he started to go harder and faster. It didn’t take long for the neighbors to start to get annoyed by the metal bed frame banging on the wall. They started to pound on the wall causing Rosalyn and Steve to grin at each other.

“Keep it down in there!” 

Steve slowed briefly to lick and suck each of Rosalyn’s breasts before speeding up again. Rosalyn’s hands left Steve’s back to grasp the metal frame to keep it from hitting the wall too hard. Steve brought his head down to kiss Rosalyn trying to swallow their moans and groans so the neighbors didn’t have anything to complain about. 

She could feel the beginnings of a major orgasm deep inside her as Steve started to hit her cervix causing Rosalyn to let go of the bed frame and grip Steve’s back again. Rosalyn's fingers started to dig into Steve's back as her moans started to get louder and louder as the pressure builds and builds. 

“ _Mine_.” Steve whispered before shifting Rosalyn’s legs.

This changes the angle so he hits her cervix with every thrust making her rip her mouth from Steve’s yelping loudly. This angle also allowed for Steve's pelvic bone to hit Rosalyn's clit at each thrust. At the third pass Rosalyn arched her back screaming cumming hard as waves and waves of pleasure hit her. 

“Yours. _Mine_.” Rosalyn whispered back, her voice hoarse after screaming her release. Steve lasted two more thrusts before painting the inside of Rosalyn's walls cumming deep inside of her. Rosalyn whimpered as Steve’s orgasm triggered another orgasm within her causing her to continuously milk his dick prolonging both of their pleasure. 

“Yours.” Steve agrees.

Thankfully as a shifter descendent there was zero chance of pregnancy or diseases, when they turn 25 pregnancy becomes an option. Rosalyn and Steve exchanged several slow and sensual kisses as he softened inside of her. Steve couldn’t help but feel smug as Rosalyn had to clear her throat a few times as she was hoarse from moaning.

“Doll, you know I’ve always loved you. You are _it_ for me.”

“I love you too Stevie.”

Things were great for Rosalyn and Steve & Bucky and Kaitlyn. They had finally paired up and were deeply in love. They would constantly go on double dates with every date ending with each couple retreating to each other’s apartments to make love. Even Rosalyn’s parents were slowly warming up to Steve courtin’ their only daughter. Things were great. 

Until December 7, 1941.

****

**The New York Times  
JAPAN WARS ON U.S AND BRITAIN; MAKES SUDDEN ATTACK ON HAWAII; HEAVY FIGHTING AT SEA REPORTED**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took longer than what I expected. I hope you guys enjoy it.


	5. New York 1942

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of Pearl Harbor.

** Chapter 5 - New York 1942 **

Although the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor only lasted one hour and 15 minutes the United States lost 2,403 people, including 68 civilians and countless amounts of people were wounded. The attack also destroyed or damaged 19 of the United States Navy ships which included 8 battleships and over 300 airplanes. Thankfully, the three of the United States Pacific Fleet’s aircraft carriers were out to sea on maneuvers.

With the aircraft carriers still in play the Japanese failed to cripple the Pacific Fleet and only managed to piss off the people of the United States. A few hours after the Japanese attack Japan formally declared war against the United States. The next day President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the nation with a rousing speech on the attack. The attack on Pearl Harbor managed to unite the American people in their determination to go to war. 

A few days later Germany also declared war on the United States officially thrusting the U.S. completely into WWII. Steve and Bucky became obsessed with joining the war effort as did many within the Pack, human and wolf alike. They both petitioned the Pack Leader to leave the Pack to join the Army but were denied. Bucky’s Pa was waiting on a directive from the Shapeshifter council. 

In the end, it didn’t take long for the council put out a decree for all shifters and family members to follow. They put out that despite the fact that the minimum age to join the United States military is 17. And even though there were many cases of men that were under 17 that decided to join illegally. The shapeshifter council decreed that no one was allowed to join who hasn’t reached their 25th birthday.

This was to avoid brand new shifters in the middle of a possible warzone or the possibility of someone going through their first shift alone without at least one Alpha to help. The only issue was with the draft since it had already been instituted which required all men between the ages of 21 and 45 to register for the draft. The council knew that it was only a matter of time before the government completed the first draft lottery. 

In preparation of that first draft, the shapeshifter council had a plan put in place with a few key people placed within the government. They planned to make sure that all of the corresponding dates of birth picked for the draft were of men born before 1917 so that they would be at least 25 years of age. Those that didn’t shift on the first moon of their 25th birthday could join and leave for boot camp immediately. 

Those that shifted were also required to gain complete control over their shift as well as any magical abilities that they may or may not have acquired before they were allowed to leave for basic training. The council's degree was a cause of contention for Steve and Bucky as they both wanted to join right away. Bucky’s 25th birthday was coming up in March and he was extremely likely to shift with his shifter-like strength and agility.

Steve on the other hand still had a year to wait which was driving him up the wall. Rosalyn made sure to keep an eye on him as she could practically hear the plotting going on in his head. He didn't want to go against the Shifter Council's decree but he really wanted to join. Steve hates bullies and firmly believes in the cause. Rosalyn didn't think he was taking into account the risks if the war lasts. 

If Steve shifts the likelihood of him having complete control is extremely slim only the very strongest of Alphas have complete control over the shift. In most cases even if you are an Alpha it takes a while to learn your wolf and Alpha power and gain control. Losing control on a battlefield is a bloodbath waiting to happen. That's _if_ he doesn't get disqualified from all of the health issues he grew up with. 

Shifting should cure most if not all of the ailments that Steve acquired. It would seem that she _had_ healed whatever caused most of his asthma but he still had a laundry list of ailments. His medical record is like a book at this point with how often he got sick growing up. She healed what she could but as a human she can only heal so much. She is still in the process of gaining control over the small amount of healing power she has. 

As you and Kaitlyn get ready for Bucky’s 25th Birthday, Steve started to act sullen and morose like he was about to lose his best friend. Rosalyn was getting _sick_ and _tired_ of his attitude. There was a 99% chance that Bucky was going to shift since he also had been showing shifter traits for a while now. Even though Steve hasn’t exhibited any Alpha powers so far doesn’t change the fact that he has a 98% chance of shapeshifting on his 25th birthday.

“Stevie. I love you but you need to stop being so morose. You will get your chance to help the war effort.”

“Doing what? Collecting tin in my little red wagon?” Steve asks sarcastically. Rosalyn raises an eyebrow at his tone before responding.

“Steve, once you shift most if not all of your medical ailments should be cured. Who is to say you’ll be denied? You just have to wait it out.”

Steve sighed deeply before bringing Rosalyn into his arms. He knew his mood had been affecting her negatively but he couldn’t help it. He _needed_ to help. Men are laying down their lives. He had _no_ right to do _anything_ less. Not to mention there was still a _chance_ that he wouldn’t shift. Then what? No, he _needed_ to get out there and join.

“I love you Rose.”

“I love you Stevie but don’t _think_ for one second that I don’t know. I _know_ you are plotting something.”

“You know me _too_ well.”

“You are going to try to enlist against the counsel’s orders, aren’t you?”

“Rosalyn, I love you. And because I love you I _will not_ answer that.”

Rosalyn sighs deeply. If he doesn’t confirm what she _suspects_ it’s just suspicions not a fact. So she won’t have to lie to the shifter counsel if she is called into questioning if this blows up in his face. _Well_ , he’d _have_ to either get _caught_ in the process of enlisting or get accepted into the Army. Which _might_ not even be noticed especially if Steve _doesn’t_ shift.

If Steve _does_ shift and _loses_ control then she _fully_ expects the counsel to prosecute him to the fullest extent of shifter law. Rosalyn mentally shakes her head. Steve’s medical records will make the acceptance of his enlistment _extremely_ unlikely. She just hopes the counsel doesn’t have their people stationed at the Enlistment centers looking for law breakers.

As expected Bucky shifted during the first full moon after his 25th birthday, the only full moon he was required to shift as it showed immediately that he was an Alpha. Bucky dove head first into his training, as he tried to gain as much control as he possibly could over his wolf and magical abilities. This caused a little bit of tension as Rosalyn, Steve and Kaitlyn felt the absence of Bucky keenly.

Once he was fully trained Bucky went down to the Enlistment Center and Enlisted in the Army. Steve, Kaitlyn and Rosalyn were quite upset when Bucky left for Basic Training. Steve kept disappearing and showing back up again depressed _refusing_ to say a word about it. Rosalyn assumed that he was attempting to Enlist and each rejection was weighing heavily on him.

It wasn’t until Bucky came back for leave that Steve cheered up. It didn’t last long as Bucky ended up receiving his orders overseas. That’s when things _really_ started to happen. Or more specifically on Bucky’s last day of leave before he shipped out. They decided to double. Bucky and Rosalyn wanted to go to the Stark Expo, The World of Tomorrow and decided to drag Steve and Kaitlyn along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay after this chapter the story is going to take place after Steve is thawed. There is going to be plenty of flash backs and information about the past as the story goes on.


	6. Avengers Facility 2017 (Steve)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time jump from 1941 to 2017 three years after SHIELD fell and HYDRA was revealed. This is all from Steve's POV going over what he's been up to the past few years.

** **

**Avengers Facility 2017**

Steve strolled through the halls towards one of the conference rooms. Natasha had called him in the middle of a boxing session with the newest batch of reinforced punching bags. He was working out his frustration at another dead end in his search for his Mate Rosalyn. He had been making trips to the last few Packs she had been a part of with the hopes of news. Unfortunately, while a few of the Pack elders remembered Rosalyn and Kaitlyn they hadn’t been back to the Pack’s since they left. 

If they went back to any of those Packs it wasn’t as any of the known alias’ that he had and they must have used illusion magic to hide who exactly they were. He really had no way to know. He started to talk to some of the oldest Packs on the East coast, hoping for some kind of word from or about his mate. He talked to some of the bigger packs throughout the United States since theoretically the bigger the Pack is the easier it is to hide. Unless you can’t hide how powerful you are. 

Steve himself would probably never be able to hide. Unfortunately, Rosalyn and Kaitlyn could change their appearance at will and from what he read about Kaitlyn she can hold an illusion at all times including while sleeping or injured. It would take quite the injury in order for her illusions to break. He doesn’t believe that Rosalyn has quite the same infinity for illusions so she should have been easier to find. She wasn’t. There was no real way to track her. 

He would say the only possible way to even attempt to track her would probably be by scent and abilities. Sadly, healing has become slightly more common than in the 1940’s. Granted, from the conversations he’s had with some of the Pack Alphas the ability to heal is still rare. Healing isn’t quite as rare as it was in 1945 but there were still Pack healers for every few Packs. There are also quite a few nomad Healers that travel from pack to pack not staying in one Pack for too long. 

Not to mention the neutral wolves that are a part of the military the number of healers within their ranks aren’t known. It was a lot harder to keep track of military member’s abilities when they weren’t required to be a part of the Pack life. Military members are normally deep in hiding or within specialized military squads so there was no way to know for sure. He was even considering going outside of the United States to some of the larger Pack’s in Europe. He just didn’t know what to do. 

To this day the only people who know he even has a mate outside of the oldest of Pack Alphas can fit on one hand and he’d still have fingers left over. He knows he should have told his fellow Avengers, his team that he had a Mate. Tony's resources alone would have been a large help on tracking her. After the Battle of New York and becoming an Avenger he took some time and travelled throughout the United States and tried to locate his Mate with no luck. He should have talked to Tony. 

He should have trusted his fellow Avengers. At least for the use of JARVIS and Tony’s resources but he didn’t really understand the technological leaps that happened when he slept. He had a lot to catch up on, not to mention reading all of the dossiers on the Howling Commandos. Unfortunately, not long after he returned, he joined SHIELD. He didn't trust them enough to inform them of his Mate and then they kept him pretty busy with missions. 

It wasn’t until he went to go and see Peggy that he got his first real lead.

~~~~~~

** Washington D.C 2013 **

“Peggy, when I first got out of the ice SHIELD gave me all of these dossiers on the Howling Commandos, _you_ and their descendants.”

“Yes, Steve.”

“Then the Battle of New York took place a few months after I came back, so I didn’t realize until after the battle was over and I left New York that there was nothing on Rosalyn or Kaitlyn.”

Peggy smiled knowingly at him, “what is it that you are asking Steven?”

“Do you have _anything_ on my Mate? I’ve been trying to do some research on my own but I haven’t found much. What became of Rosalyn and Kaitlyn after I went into the ice?” Steve asked, trying and failing to keep the hope out of his voice.

“Ah yes. Once we lost you and Bucky, Howard and I had all records of them scrubbed. We had them all altered or destroyed so that Rosalyn and Kaitlyn were only listed as part of the dance corps in the Captain America War bonds tour.” 

“You can do that?”

“Of course. There is no mention of their missions with you and the Howling Commandos or of them being mated to you and Bucky made it into any official SSR or SHIELD record.”

“Thank you Peggy. You don’t know how much this means to me. It also explains why the only thing I’ve been able to find on them is their names listed on one of my old show programs that someone kept as a memento and scanned onto the internet.” Steve replied, unable to keep the relief and frustration out of his voice.

This would explain the reason why he didn’t get any information on them from SHIELD. They sent him complete dossiers on the Commandos and a separate dossier on Tony Stark and how he became Iron Man but _nothing_ on his mate. It was probably for the best. After the ruse they tried to pull when he woke up. Well, it took a _long_ time for him to trust them at all. He only joined SHIELD because of its ties to Peggy and Howard. 

It helped that most of the Commandos also had ties to SHIELD. SHIELD is aware of the existence of shifters and they have all shifter STRIKE Teams available. He didn’t _trust_ SHIELD enough to ask for information on his Mate. As Nick Fury said it's a new world that he woke up to and he feels lost without his Mate.

“Of course Steve. They were one of us and we took care of our own.”

“I don’t even know if she… they are alive. When I saw there wasn’t any information on Rosalyn and Kaitlyn I didn’t even _know_ where to start looking.”

“Strange, I was under the impression that a Mated Pair would KNOW if their Mating Bond had broken and if their Mate had passed on…” Peggy started her voice trailing off as she tried to remember.

“I think in normal cases that would be true but since I got the Super Soldier serum our bond was a little different, it was a lot tighter. We were one of the few extreme cases, we could pull on each other's ability and talk mentally at all times...” Steve started to explain.

“Ah yes. I remember a few incidents with Rosalyn _accidentally_ breaking things, I suppose that was one of the many times she was overcome with your Super Soldier strength.”

“It took a little while for her to get used to the added strength, as a shifter we were already stronger than humans so adding in the super soldier strength. We both ended up being stronger than the average shifter.”

“At least the added agility, reflexes and strength were assets in the war.” Peggy commented.

“Yes, Rosalyn even managed to figure out how to work with my shield.”

“I _remember_ that! I remember, one day you were working so hard on getting the shield to hit the target. Everyone could see how frustrated you were getting until Rosalyn walked straight up to you yanked the shield out of your hands and let it fly. She nailed the target, jumped up and caught your shield and handed it back to you and walked off.” Peggy recounted amusement clearly in her voice as Steve sighed in mock exasperation.

“Yes. I remember, I didn’t live that down for weeks. I could even pull on her ability to heal for minor injuries and we could talk mind to mind. In fact we had to work at _not_ hearing each other’s thoughts _every_ moment of the day.”

“Haha. Yes, I remember overhearing a few one-sided conversations.” Peggy remarked as Steve smiled at the memories.

“So when I went into the ice… _something_ happened to our bond. It must have been shattered or frayed badly. Sometimes, I _think_ I can feel her and I’ll reach out to her but I never get anything back so I don’t know if I’m imagining it or not.”

“That actually explains a few things that happened right after you went into the ice…”

“Peggy?”

“Well, after the War they returned to your old Pack in New York as Rosalyn Rogers and Kaitlyn Barnes. I was there in the New York Branch of the SSR at the time so we were able to keep in touch for a while.”

“They’re still alive? Do you know where they are?” He couldn’t keep the excitement out of his voice, he will finally be reunited with his mate and they can fix their Mating Bond.

“Steve, I’m not sure how much help I’m going to be… the Commandos and I were able to keep track of Rosalyn and Kaitlyn up until a point. Plus with my condition it's hard to know how accurate my information is when I don’t always know _when_ I am.”

“I understand Peggy, _please_ just tell me what you can.”

“After staying in New York for 10 years they moved every 5-10 years going to several different Packs and then in 1965 they _suddenly_ dropped off the grid.”

“What do you mean? Have you heard anything from them?” Steve asked worriedly.

“In 1972 there was a dead drop alert stating that they were going dark. Since then we have only heard from them a handful of times throughout the years through a variety of dead drops.”

“When was the last dead drop?”

“The last dead drop I got was in 1983 about two years before I got my diagnosis. Of course it's hard to know if I’ve seen or heard them in the years since with how my condition can mess with my more current memories.”

“1965? I wonder what happened that caused them to go dark ...”

Peggy shrugs, “I’m not sure what happened. I do, however… have this.” Peggy handed Steve a couple of thick files that she had her niece Sharon picked up from her vault.

“This is everything we have on them up to 1965, including every mission with the Commando before and after you went into the ice and the notes they sent via dead drops. These are the only copies of their files.”

“Thank you Peggy. _Wait_. What? They went on missions after Bucky and I both died?”

“Steve, once we lost both you and Bucky… the girls were inconsolable, not even the calming presence of your other Pack members, the Commandos or myself could help them.” 

“Oh, _Peggy_.”

“I was afraid for them, it was a miracle that the loss of their mates didn’t kill them both. It wasn’t until they joined us in destroying the remaining HYDRA strongholds that they were filled with purpose again.”

“I don’t understand. How did they help destroy HYDRA bases? Rosalyn’s ability was to heal and Kaitlyn’s was illusions which are both very handy to have on the ground but those abilities weren’t made for hand to hand combat.”

“Steve…” Peggy started quietly knowing this would hurt him. “When you brought down the Valkyrie… after the radio went dead, I heard a heartbreaking soul shattering scream.” Peggy continued watching Steve’s face go completely white, he knew where this was going.

“Rose,” he whispered.

Peggy nodded solemnly hating to do this to him but she knew he needed to hear what had happened. Knowing Steve he’ll want all the details that she could remember. Thankfully she had written down the account afterwards which was in the file in his hands. Her memory was so unreliable Alzheimer's is such a frustrating disease. 

“We rushed back out to the hanger bay, there was still some fighting going on. In the center of the fight was Rosalyn, she was fighting with such ferocity.”

“WHAT?!”

“Yes, I think it might have been the result of your Mating Bond being frayed or broken. It was like she became completely feral, which makes sense with how tight your bond was. She was using her ability to partly shift to rip into HYDRA soldiers like they were butter.“

“No.” Steve whispered covering his head with his hands trying to get rid of the image of Rosalyn in a feral state because of him.

“I think the HYDRA operatives realized that she would be scientifically valuable and they kept trying to subdue her, possibly to transport her to another facility.”

“ _Oh my God._ ”

“Thankfully the majority of our allies were at other parts of the base, especially with what happened next,” Peggy continued.

“Peg, what happened?”

“Her ability to heal had taken _quite_ the turn.”

“ _What?_ ” Peggy heard him quietly whisper.

“Every wounded person within a 10 foot radius of her started to get worse, she would barely touch them and they were falling down dead with extensive wounds. Those she sliced up with her claws bled out within moments with wounds ten times worse than originally.”

“Oh God. It’s not like any of us haven’t had to take a life during the War but to have your own abilities turn on you like that especially the ability to heal…”

Peggy nods in agreement before continuing “Thankfully, Kaitlyn was able to get close enough to Rosalyn without injuries to snap her out of her feral state so she could gain some control over her ability but she managed to take out a rather large sum of HYDRA men.”

“I-I don’t know what to say.”

“According to the few Pack Healers she was able to contact, it’s called Health Manipulation. She is able to manipulate health, by healing or making wounds worse and later... Once she had better control she could even create wounds.”

“ _Wow._ ”

“Your Mate is _quite_ the powerful Alpha Female.”

“I know. She’s always been powerful.”

“No, Steve. Her power levels went through the roof, it took months for her to gain control over her ability. As a human if I had _any_ wounds I wasn’t allowed near her till she gained full control or I could have bled out.”

“Holy shit.”

“Only the shifters with a high enough healing factor were allowed near her and a few were recruited to help her gain control.”

“Rosalyn…” Steve whispered. He felt for his mate. It took him a while to gain control over his new body trying to control his strength was particularly difficult at first. His Alpha ability had to do with strength, strength of body and mind. 

“It was all quite fascinating but she gained control over her healing again. I suppose the trauma of losing their mates caused Rosalyn and Kaitlyn’s abilities to progress by leaps and bounds.”

~~~~~~

Peggy’s notes were a big help at figuring where she had been and some of her patterns. She returned back to the states as Rosalyn Rogers and she was known as Captain America’s widowed Mate. She spent a lot of time bouncing back and forth between some of the big packs being utilized as a Pack Healer. She had been involved enough in some Packs that she had a few offers of companionship and Mating. He had found a set of letters between Rosalyn and Peggy, talking about the offers. 

She denied each and every one stating that she wasn’t ready to move on. From what he gathered Rosalyn didn’t date or entertain the thought of being courted by another. He did note that she complained of constantly being cold and drained as if she was constantly using her Alpha power of Healing. Kaitlyn also had similar complaints. The only real difference was the migraines she would also get. He theorized that he was pulling on their bond to stay alive in the ice. 

Maybe that is why their bond is so strained. Rosalyn and Peggy ended up keeping in contact until she dropped off the map in 1965. The last letter talked about going west towards California, hitting some of the smaller Packs and maybe finally starting to look for some form of companionship. At that point it had been 20 years since we went down in the ice. Rosalyn became unpredictable once it hit 1965 and she disappeared off of Peggy’s radar. 

There were a few extra notes from when Rosalyn and Kaitlyn left a few _‘I’m alive’_ notes in pre-established dead drops but no direct communications to Peggy. While he was grateful for anything on his mate it was disappointing. He missed her. It didn’t help that Natasha seemed to be pretty dedicated to his love life for some reason. Perhaps if he had told her about his mate, she would stop setting him up or attempting to set him up. 

He would go on some of the dates as he was raised not to be rude and stand-up a lady that was expecting him, but he wished she would set her matchmaking sights on someone else. He should have just told her about Rosalyn. Granted, he had no knowledge if his Mate was alive or dead so perhaps the matchmaking would not have stopped. He went on the occasional date. He was lonely without his Mate and he craved companionship. 

While he didn’t date seriously, he found some companionship with Sharon Carter after they were introduced by Peggy. He particularly enjoyed sharing Peggy and the Howling Commandos stories with her. She knew he couldn’t really have anything serious, not that he told the reason why but that didn’t stop her from hoping. Or rather that she would change his mind. They did have a few dates that ended in sex but it was never supposed to be anything more than blowing off some steam. 

She was very persistent. She was constantly pushing for more than what he was ready to give. He couldn’t believe how determined she was especially for a human. Then when SHIELD fell. He found out Bucky _was_ alive! Bucky was _alive_ but he had been brainwashed by HYDRA... Bucky became his primary focus. To find Bucky and bring him home. He didn’t have time for women or the illusion of companionship and that’s all it was, an illusion. So, he broke things off with Sharon. 

Turns out she went territorial. He found out that she was warning other women away from him. She also had filled out some paperwork for him to make their very casual relationship seem like more than what it was. He was still holding out hope for his Mate. She just keeps showing up every few months. She was usually trying to have sex with him in hopes of them becoming more. It typically doesn’t work. He needed to end it. 

It might have been three years since Bucky left HYDRA’s clutches but Steve isn’t even sure what exactly Bucky remembers. He isn’t sure if he remembers Rosalyn or his own mate Kaitlyn. He spent a year and a half on the run before Steve found him. Then a year with the Avengers but he still doesn’t have all his memories back. There are still a lot of large gaps in his memories that he might get back one day but it's a slow-moving process. If he tries too hard the memories just seem to escape his grasp. 

He isn’t about to mention them until he knows if they are still alive or not. So he’s been destroying a lot of punching bags lately. The team seems to think it has to do with Bucky and any progress mishaps he’s had or the issues he’s had with Sharon. In reality it has to do with the frustration of not finding his Mate. Steve wondered if Rosalyn found another Mate? This thought drove him crazy, he couldn’t stand the thought of _his_ Rosalyn with another wolf. 

Steve had a hard time picturing her with anyone else and the thought of her finding another Mate made him crazy. He knew he was being irrational, even though their bond was completely dormant or frayed beyond recognition it bothered him. He knew there was no way to know he was in fact alive all these years but in a frozen state under the ice. It still upsets him. It also made him curious whether either of them would be able to _make_ a new bond? Would there be side effects?

He really had no way of knowing and since the pool of shifters that have survived their mate's death is so small there is no way to know for sure. Either way he had no idea what would happen and he wasn’t about to attempt anything when his Mate could still be alive. This was a major contention between him and Sharon. She wants everything. She wants to be his mate. To be his wife and a slew of other things that he couldn’t imagine with anyone else but his mate. His Rosalyn. 

It was possible that the stress of it was finally getting to him, trying to keep Sharon away and trying to find his Rosalyn. It was the textbook definition of Toxic Relationship but sometimes he has relapses. It seemed likely that he was going to have to have a serious conversation with her soon. He’s fairly sure that talking to her wouldn’t change much. He doesn’t see her giving up the chance to be with _Captain America_ without a fight. He isn’t quite sure why she’s so determined. 

He’s even destroyed the newly reinforced bags that Tony had specially made for shifters but it looks like he needed something more. As a super-soldier and a Alpha werewolf he was a lot stronger than the average shifter. Everything is enhanced. Especially his strength. He hasn’t been this keyed up outside of a fight in years probably not since before the war when he was about to start his USO tour and visited New York to see Rosalyn and Kaitlyn. 

When he got to New York he found out that Rosalyn’s parents were having a tournament to suss out all of her potential suitors. The tournament was a way to weed out the weak so that only the strongest bloodlines survived. It isn’t exactly common now but at the time due to the low number of Alpha females in the Packs finding them a Mate was a big deal. Of course, all females get the final pick, you can’t force a mating because then the Mating Bond won’t form. 

This was just a way to submit the suit of intended courtship and hopefully prove themselves worthy. Males have to prove that they can provide for their Mate and be able to protect them and any cubs they bring into the world. Rosalyn was _livid_ when she found out about the tournament. As far as she was concerned, she wasn’t a werewolf _yet_. She also wasn’t an Alpha so she didn’t believe that she warranted a tournament. Her parents thought otherwise. 

With her birthday coming up in a couple of weeks they figured it was a safe bet. Even though she had gone to the finest finishing school in London it didn’t stop her from completely losing her temper. They had been writing back and forth to each other while he was in Boot Camp and going through his specialized training program. Steve’s last letter was sent right before the procedure that made him into a Super Soldier which triggered his transformation into some kind of super Alpha Werewolf.

This happened a few days before his 25th birthday. He made sure to write to her that he was going through a dangerous procedure but no real details. He couldn’t exactly tell Rosalyn about the Classified Specialized Training Program. Nor could he mention that this extremely Classified Training Program turned him into some kind of a Super Soldier Alpha Werewolf. Or that Dr. Erskine died by a HYDRA spy in a letter since most if not all of it was classified. 

After Dr. Erskine died, Colonel Phillips wanted to send him to Alamogordo to be confined to a laboratory and probably become an experiment. So when Senator Brandt offered him another way to help the war effort in a USO tour so he agreed. He was allowed a couple of weeks of leave before the tour rehearsals started. Since his leave was so short notice he wasn’t able to alert anyone of his impending visit. Unbeknownst to Steve, the tournament was due to start the day he arrived back in NY.


	7. New York 1943 (Steve)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In 1943 Rosalyn’s Mating Tournament. Back in 2017 Natasha gives a brief for new mission against HYDRA but has ulterior motives.

**Chapter 7 - New York 1943 (Steve)**

Once Steve got back to New York he went straight to Pack Headquarters. As a newly turned wolf he’s required to check in with local Pack’s Alpha. After checking in with the Pack Leader and Alpha Male of the New York Pack Mr. Barnes, Bucky’s Pa. To his surprise Bucky’s Pa started talking about the tournament assuming that he was there to enter and not just to visit. He had to sign up immediately and head to the ring for the first round so he wasn’t able to talk to Rosalyn.

He would have preferred to talk to her first and get her take on the tournament and to see if him entering would be something she wished. Plus, he really wanted her to see the new version of him so he could watch her reaction, it was going to be priceless. In any case it was pretty well known that Rosalyn was going to be an Alpha as well as a healer so the number of men submitting their suit was twice the normal number of males during a Mating tournament. 

Since there were so many potential suitors there had to be a few rounds of fights to lessen the amount, so that Rosalyn wouldn’t be overwhelmed. Even with a war going on the New York Werewolf Pack had about 300 wolves in attendance and even more non-shifter family members. There were about 120 adult male wolves, about 70 of those were unattached and about 40 of those were Alphas. Every single one of those Alphas were currently in the running for the possibility of a Mate. 

As well as a few of the stronger Beta wolves who were hoping to try their luck. The number probably would have been even higher had the world not been in the middle of a war. It was possible that suitors from other Packs would show up as well. As it was there were about 56 males competing for a chance to be Rosalyn’s Mate. It was always possible Rosalyn won’t find a male to her liking and would end up rejecting them all. Knowing Rosalyn, it was likely she planned on rejecting all on-comers. 

She wasn’t going to settle for anything less than love. Besides, she had always believed that the Mating tournament was pointless. He didn’t think her views have changed while he was gone, and the fact that she hasn’t shifted yet complicates things. There’s no way to know if she would be able to sustain a Mating Bond until she actually shifted. Of course, it was possible to Mate with a human but typically the Bond was one-sided and was supposedly slightly easier to break. 

Breaking a Mating Bond was something Rosalyn never wanted to risk since breaking a Mating Bond can cause a slew of horrible things. Horrible things such as insanity or death. Both parties were at risk when a Mating Bond was broken. This is why entering a Mating Bond is not something to be taken lightly and why most women take the time to choose their mate. Most likely you will be with your Mate until one of you dies, and when you can live hundreds of years... 

Steve found it very strange to have so much strength after being weak for most of his life. He had to spend a lot of his free time trying to figure out how to gauge his strength. He would be constantly breaking things such as doors, shoelaces, and cups because he would grip them just a little too tight. Even things such as a handshake he had to reassess as he could possibly break a normal human’s hand if he doesn’t figure out the exact amount of strength to use. 

He was just thankful that the first round was against another Alpha who could heal most if not all of the damage he inflicted. Aside from having to figure out exactly how much of his strength to use against his opponent the round was relatively easy. It didn’t take long to get the other Alpha to submit and declare him more dominant. Rosalyn’s family only wanted the most dominant wolves to be allowed to petition to court Rosalyn, not that Rosalyn particularly cared since dominance doesn’t equal good.

~~~~~~

After the first round the 28 winners were allowed to talk briefly with Rosalyn so she could meet her potential suitors for a few minutes. Typically, this is where the two wolves would scent each other to see if they suited but since she wasn’t a wolf yet, the impact wasn’t quite the same. Steve watched Rosalyn meet each of her potential suitors, each taking in a deep breath and stepping back. Rosalyn tried to keep an open neutral look on her face, but he could see the reluctance in her eyes and in her body language.

He always had the ability to read her like a book Steve thought as he spotted Kaitlyn nearby. She was probably there for moral support. She looked really amused as a brave suitor drifted a little closer to Rosalyn. He was deeper in her personal space than what was normally allowed. This caused Steve to start rumbling, a low menacing growl forming at the back of his throat. _MINE_. Is all he can think. Steve was having a problem holding back, it was _odd_. 

Since he was given the serum his control had been iron tight, until now. Now all he wanted was to go to Rosalyn and rip the offending Male away from her. He knew Rosalyn hated when strangers get within her “ _personal bubble_ ” as she likes to call it. Steve was especially confused once he saw Rosalyn smile mischievously at the brave wolf. This offending wolf smiled back with triumph in his eyes at the lack of rejection. Steve was barely able to hold himself back as he watched unable to do anything. 

Steve was delighted as he saw her suddenly shift to the left, jerking the suitor forward causing him to lose his balance and fall flat on his face. Mud went _everywhere_. She had managed to shift far enough away from him that the mud splatter missed her entirely. She had always been light on her feet. Steve could see Rosalyn’s slight smirk as stunned silence took over the crowd. Suddenly there was a symphony of sound as laughter broke out before Rosalyn’s father stepped forward to address the crowd.

“As you can see my daughter doesn’t tolerate those who attempt to take liberties.”

This caused more laughter as Rosalyn just nodded and smiled mischievously before stepping over the wolf on the floor ignoring him completely and gesturing for the next suitor to come forward. It wasn’t long before Steve finally found himself in front of Rosalyn and gave her a shy smile as his name was announced. There was a gasp of shock from the crowd. They all knew how sickly he was before he joined the Army. The difference was startling. 

Rosalyn’s eyes widened in surprise which quickly shifted to delight as soon as he was announced. They stepped towards each other smiling. Due to Steve’s _extra senses_ that he gained when he got the serum, he could already smell the fur just under Rosalyn’s skin. He could also smell her true base scent and he knew. She was _his_. His _Mate_. There was no way to know if Rosalyn had enough of a wolf’s sense of smell to be able to tell that they were in fact Mates. 

They both leaned in towards each other and took in a deep breath before looking into each other’s eyes for a beat longer than normal before stepping back. It was _hard_. He didn’t want to leave her. _Ever_. Steve felt a whine in the back of his throat as they both trembled slightly. They both held back from embracing each other in a long overdue hug. He wanted his Mate. But they couldn’t embrace after what she did to the wolf that tried to get too close. 

She couldn’t just disregard all the rules and jump into his arms. He could see in her eyes that she was tempted. He didn’t want her to break the rules just yet, now that he _knew_ she was meant to be his . He had no problem going _through_ anyone that thinks they can get in between them. Steve knew that as an Alpha Werewolf and a Super Soldier this tournament should be easy. He was going to win, he had to show Rosalyn that he was the perfect Mate for her.

“Stevie, what the hell did the Army do to you?” Kaitlyn asked jokingly as she pulled him into a hug. Steve took a deep breath. He could smell the light scent of fur on Kaitlyn as well. Looks like she’s going to be a wolf as well, Steve thought.

“Kat.” Steve greeted her. “I’ll tell you all about it once I can finally talk to Rose. This tournament kind of messed up my plans.”

“Ah yes the tournament… Rose almost killed her parents when she heard about it. She probably would have if she had the ability to shift. Probably why they are doing it now instead of after her birthday.”

“Ha. Ha.” Steve replied with a deadpan tone.

“I’m not kidding, her eyes flashed red and gold and she growled.” Kaitlyn informed Steve. Steve’s eyes just widened before melting into a small private smile.

“Sounds like Rose.”

“I didn’t think you’d be here especially since you’ve been MIA with the Army. We didn’t even know that you shifted Stevie. Clearly you made it since you got through the first round. How did you hear about the tournament?”

“I didn’t hear about it until I got back to New York. I stopped by Pack Headquarters to check in and I was about to look for you and Rosalyn. That’s when I heard. I barely had enough time to drop my stuff off and check in with Bucky’s Pa before I had to be in Central Park for the first round.”

“The second round should be starting soon, after the next round you actually get to spend some quality time with Rosalyn. Chaperoned.”

“Who’s the chaperone?”

“Why, me of course.” Kaitlyn told him, bringing her hands up to cup her checks giving him an innocent smile and giggle before it melted into a wicked grin as Steve turned on the sad puppy eyes.

“What do I have to do in order to get you to get distracted by ‘something’ and leave us alone?” Steve asked. He’s only half serious, he’d love alone time with Rosalyn but Tournaments are heavily monitored. His sad puppy eyes weren't as effective as when he was only 5'4 and 95 pounds but she could still feel its effects.

“Sorry, Stevie. Rosalyn negotiated that this round of chaperoned one-on-one sessions be no more than 30 minutes long. I think she told him something about how many potential suitors there are and her not wanting to be too exhausted.”

“What was her real reason?”

“She said she didn’t want the tournament in the first place, so why would she want to deal with pushy Alpha wolves that she either doesn’t want to know or who don’t _actually_ want to know her.”

“Understandable.”

“Yes, well I’m sure she’s kicking herself now wishing she could spend more time with you. At least this round will knock it down to 14, depending on how long it takes we might have the 3rd round leaving it at 7 potential mates. Then Rosalyn will be required to actually spend time with them, so I hope you have enough leave for this.”

“I have a couple weeks of leave before I start my USO Tour. Is there anything that will end this early?”

“USO Tour? Stevie… really? Aside from her Mating someone or at a minimum her accepting someone’s suit? I doubt it.”

“I could smell fur underneath her base scent, she is _going_ to be a wolf. I wouldn’t be surprised if she started picking up wolf traits and sense of smell.”

“She has mentioned that her sense of smell has gotten a little bit more….”

“Yes, that’s probably the wolf starting to make itself known.”

“Plus there was that thing with her eyes after her parents told her about the tournament.”

Steve debated telling Kaitlyn that he and Rosalyn were in fact Mates. In the end he decides not to share that bit of news. He figured after the tournament he could talk to Rosalyn about it. The horn went off announcing the next round was about to start. Steve started to make his way over to the miniature arenas created just for this purpose. He just needed to get through this next fight, no one was getting between him and his mate…

~~~~~~

** Avengers Tower 2017 **

**  
  
**  
“Natasha, what’s the problem,” Steve asked, striding into the briefing room.

“I’ve been combing through the HYDRA data dump and there is a potential problem.” Natasha brings up a series of pictures, each showing a young woman with black hair. The pictures gave a great view of her body but no clear picture of her face, “this is Lady Rosalyn MaCaskill.”

“What’s with these pictures, are there any better pictures on file?” Steve asked. 

Like most names the name Rosalyn started to become common again which frustrated him to no end. He knew it was extremely unlikely his Rosalyn would use her own name especially if she’s _hiding_ from something or someone. Still, Lady MaCaskill reminded him of his Mate, the same hair color and a body type that artists would have used to paint on the noses of planes.

“Lady MaCaskill is exceptionally good at avoiding the camera, as you can see, you get a clear view of her body type, and other details but she manages to avoid any direct pictures of her face. Even in the group shots…” Natasha shows a few group shots 

“She manages to be looking slightly away so you get a great view of her jaw line but there are no complete shots of her face.”

“There’s no way that’s an accident, otherwise there would be at least one picture with a clear view of her face. I wonder what makes her so paranoid that there are no pictures of her.” Steve ponders out loud.

“Most of these pictures are pulled off of Social Media so it’s possible there are pictures out there with a clear view of her face but she’s smart and doesn’t post those online.” _It's probably how she managed to avoid the HYDRA and the KGB for all those years_ , Natasha thought.

“Who’s the dame?” Bucky asks as he walks into the briefing room looking for Steve. He looked over the picture on the screen. 

_Good a mission_ , he thought. 

Bucky was tired of his self-imposed exile. He’s been with the Avengers for almost a year. He figures it was time to start going on missions and being a part of a team again. He hasn’t had a good fight outside of sparring since he came out from the cold and joined the Avengers. It would be nice to kick some HYDRA ass and get some of this extra energy out, as it is. He figured that he would ask Thor or Stevie to spar before they leave.

“Lady Rosalyn MaCaskill, Natasha was just telling me what the potential problem is.” Steve told Bucky before gesturing for Natasha to continue. Bucky looked a little closer at the picture and thought that she looked familiar.

Natasha took in a breath, having Yasha here was not part of the plan. There was a chance that he would recognize Rosalyn, code named Снежная сирена (Snow Siren). When she found files on the Mate of the Asset the Зимний солдат (Winter Soldier) she didn’t know what to expect. She had been under the impression that she was the closest thing he had to a Mate. She would have even said that they _are_ Mates. Turns out she was _wrong_. 

In 1987 during her 20th year when she was known as Черная вдова (Black Widow) they were told that due to their excellent service to the State that they would be allowed to Mate and breed. She had been _so proud_ , to be mated to Зимний солдат (Winter Soldier) was a great honor that would have had all the girls in the Red Room seething with jealousy. The time they gave them to become more than occasional partners for missions was deeply cherished, she really felt that she had gotten to know Yasha.

They wanted Yasha to turn her, so she was given a variant of Russia’s Super Soldier Serum with the hope that it would help the turn. Instead, her newly enhanced body fought off the bite like it was an infection. The serum gave longevity, enhanced healing factor, strength, reflexes, durability and stamina but she could not become a wolf. It didn’t stop the KGB from trying to force the mating bond. They demanded a mating between their Зимний солдат (Winter Soldier) and Черная вдова (Black Widow). 

The mating bond never manifested. So, the Зимний солдат (Winter Soldier) was put back in Cryo and the memories of them were wiped from both of their minds and she was sent out on solo missions. He had helped shape her into Черная вдова (Black Widow) and he had trained her to be the ultimate spy and weapon. He was her first love and even though they wiped him from her memory she had never completely forgotten him. It was hard trying to remember everything she did while in the Red Room. 

She worked hard to clean the red on her ledger after she finally got out and joined SHIELD. Relationships of any kind were hard to maintain. She even had a problem maintaining her relationship with Agent Clint Barton and Agent Phil Coulson. Clint, her partner and later her lover and Agent Coulson who was the only Handler she even remotely trusted and who actually cared about his Assets… errr Agents. Even her perception of sex was skewed, it was more of a job and a chore. 

It took her a long time to be able to enjoy sex and not to think of it as another job of the Black Widow. It also took a while for her brain to heal enough to remember him, her Yasha. Actually, it was during her run in with him during a mission to protect a Nigerian scientist that she was suddenly hit with memories. She was confronted by the ruthless Зимний солдат (Winter Soldier), not _her_ Yasha. Yasha who was her first and only love. 

The Зимний солдат (Winter Soldier) eliminated his target by literally shooting through her when she tried to shield him with her body. Afterwards, she tried to find him but it was a dead end. Unfortunately, the Зимний солдат was nothing more than a ghost story to the rest of the Intelligence Community. He was credited with over two dozen assassinations in the last 50 years. The one KGB only had him on loan and he wasn’t there when she shut down the Red Room with Clint. 

Perhaps Clint would have been more if she were capable of feeling love the way others do, the closest she had ever felt to love was with Yasha. In the year that Yasha has been in Avengers Tower she could feel aspects of Черная вдова (Black Widow) returning including her love for the Зимний солдат (Winter Soldier). It’s caused a lot of strain between her and Clint throughout the months. She was there as much as possible for Yasha’s recovery trying to get him and the Soldier to work together. 

She figured that once they merged, he would get his memories of her back. She could feel herself slowly reverted back to the Черная вдова (Black Widow) mindset. She had never really explained to Clint what happened with Yasha all those years ago. She doesn’t really talk about her time in the Red Room with anyone. The only person who could possibly understand doesn’t _remember_ her. Instead, she’s been freezing Clint out with the hopes that he would just move on making the break easier on both of them. 

She would never be what he wanted, she just wasn’t capable. She wasn’t capable of loving him the way he wanted and much less the way he deserved. The file she found showed that the KGB did some research on Werewolf culture. They found that once you are Mated you are pretty much Mated until your Mate’s death. Ending a mating without a death is exceedingly rare and it isn’t easy to kill a werewolf much less an Alpha. When HYDRA loaned their asset to the KGB they found his mate in 1965. 

As far as they were concerned Yasha’s mate was alive and well and they will stop at nothing to retrieve her. A female wolf with extraordinary abilities. She is viewed fit as the mate of the Зимний солдат (Winter Soldier). Her file had been heavily encrypted, it took months to decrypt. According to the records that she managed to decrypt the KGB had been negotiating with the local Native American Tribe. They wanted to have their Asset and Alpha Male to meet the female wolves within the Pack. 

They were trying to find their asset, a Mate. All the better to control him with the wolf instincts to _protect_ his Mate at _all_ costs. Sadly, Alpha female wolves were extremely hard to come by during that time period especially with shifters being in hiding. The KGB had been negotiating for any female wolves with the hope that the Зимний солдат (Winter Soldier) would take a liking to one of them. While the KGB were in negotiations a scout found a lone female wolf in the desert. 

She had been practicing the manipulation of fire. The Scout watched as she created balls of fire in her hands and would throw them at her prearranged targets. Excited, the Scout contacted the Handler for the Зимний солдат (Winter Soldier). The Handler called for the Зимний солдат to contact the female wolf. She was an Alpha Wolf by the name of Rozene of the Wolf Clan. She was described to have long straight black hair, dark brown eyes and tan skin and looked distinctly Native American. 

Communication was reported to be an issue as the солдат (Soldier) was programmed to only speak Russian in the presence of his handler. The female wolf Rozene did not speak or understand any Russian. It was pure luck that the Scout could speak a small amount of English. He could provide some translation when the asset met the she-wolf. The Scout asked the Зимний солдат (Winter Soldier) to report on the meeting and he was asked if he found her to be a suitable mate.

“Она пахнет как моим супругам” (She smells like my mate) the солдат reported. That statement sealed her fate. 

They found her, caught her, mated them, conditioned her and then lost her while the Зимний солдат (Winter Soldier) was out during a solo mission. This took place all within a span of 15 years. It was lucky that they didn’t give her a version of the Super Soldier Serum as well. According to the records Natasha found it was because they had a hard-enough time controlling them both. She was stronger, faster and more agile than the average Alpha female wolf with almost the same strength as Yasha.

They were reported to be an extremely volatile pair that had a habit of a vicious cycle of fighting, fucking and killing and not necessarily in that order. Unfortunately, if anyone got caught in the crossfire when they were in the process of their strange mating dance they would be quickly dispatched. There are files and files that she decrypted within the KGB of dead men and women who tried to stop them in the middle of an argument or physical fight. 

An argument that had escalated to a physical fight and there were also instances of personnel that provoked their possessive streaks. There were a few deaths that were justly warranted, a couple of handlers or backups that attempted something untoward. They had been quickly and brutally dispatched by the couple. After someone was dispatched, they would continue their volatile mating dance and proceed to fuck out their anger and aggression. 

This would happen regardless if they were in public or private. The relationship between the Черная вдова (Black Widow) and the Зимний солдат (Winter Soldier) was not nearly as volatile as the relationship between the Зимний солдат and the Снежная сирена (Snow Siren). Granted they probably didn’t have sex nearly as much as Rozene and Yasha if you believe the reports. Unfortunately, for Rozene HYDRA has been looking for her for years. 

As the mate of the Зимний солдат would be an unbelievably valuable asset in the capture and return of Зимний солдат. They wanted to use her to bring her Mate in and lure him away from the Avengers. Apparently, there have been a couple of sightings throughout the decades where units would be sent to reacquire her, those units would “disappear,” and she’d be in the wind again. At least until 2011, she must have made some kind of mistake as she managed to hit their radar. 

Sadly, for her it looked like HYDRA is finally on the verge of moving in on her. Granted this is the first time in over 30 years that they managed to find her again. The video files she found were the most encrypted part of the entire fire and took months to decrypt. There had been some _intense_ footage of her using her fire ability in 1969. There had also been some reports and short footage of her using them in 2011. Since then, she had been closely monitored along with her human husband. 

They set about to covertly confirm if she was in fact their asset’s Mate, they didn’t want to risk her catching wind of them and running. According to the file she found there was some confusion as to why she would get married when her Mate is still alive. They theorized that the mind wipes caused their bond to fracture enough that they could have other lovers. This would be why the Зимний солдат (Winter Soldier) and the Снежная сирена (Snow Siren) were able to be with others but there was no Mating. 

The Зимний солдат (Winter Soldier) and the Снежная сирена (Snow Siren) are Mates but there were ways to break a bond. It wasn’t exactly safe for both Mates but it could be done. She wanted Yasha so they _had_ to break the bond, she _needed_ to be able to bond with him. So, despite the remote possibility Yasha will recognize Rozene, she resolved to continue. She brought up a second set of pictures figuring that as long as she doesn’t linger, he will be less likely to recognize Rozene.

“This is Lord James MaCaskill HYDRA has both of their files flagged.”

“Hmm he’s not one for pictures either I see” Steve commented as most of the pictures of Lord MaCaskill were profile views, the exception being the official family photos.

“Lord MaCaskill was flagged as a potential asset as he is a very well-known Mercenary and Lady Rosalyn MaCaskill maiden name Hunt file flagged as a potential bargaining chip for Lord MaCaskill.”

“Were they flagged for SHIELD as well? I assume they also had files on the SHIELD server,” Steve commented before looking at the new set of photographs.

“SHIELD yes did have a file on them, they were both flagged for possible recruitment which I’m sure was a front to recruit Lord MaCaskill to HYDRA. The fact that huge chunks of their files got pulled off the web within hours of the data dump made me curious. I looked into it and found HYDRA’s interest in them and all the information they have on them both.” Natasha informed them.

“What is Lord and Lady MaCaskill’s status? Human, Supernatural or other?” Steve asked, trying to be prepared for all possibilities.

“Well…”


	8. Chapter 8 - Avengers Tower (Natasha)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha finishes her brief on Lady MaCaskill and they leave for their mission.

** **

**Chapter 8 - Avengers Tower (Natasha)**

Natasha felt sick, she could lie but with how dangerous Rosalyn is she could put Steve and Yasha in danger if the mission goes south, which is likely to happen if HYDRA shows up to claim the girl. Not to mention there are trigger words for both the Снежная сирена (Snow Siren) and Зимний солдат (Winter Soldier) to get them both in compliant mode. She finally resolves to be as honest as she can without revealing who Lady Rosalyn MaCaskill really is and why she wants to find her.

“Lord MaCaskill is classified as human, a deadly human but human. Lady MaCaskill’s classification is missing from the SHIELD and HYDRA file, it's likely that she is a supernatural being, so I’d tread with caution.” Natasha says finally.

“Extraction and a protection detail?” Bucky asked as he studied the pictures. Bucky figured this should be a relatively easy mission, extracting Lady MaCaskill should be easy enough and if HYDRA showed up, he’s always up for a fight.

“Looks like,” Steve nods and gestures for Natasha to continue.

“Lord MaCaskill has actually been labeled as _‘Killed in Action’_ …” Natasha started.

“So they shouldn’t have an interest in Lady MaCaskill, I doubt they would want some spoiled noblewoman…” Bucky starts.

“Six months ago, for the THIRD time.” Natasha continued as though she wasn’t interrupted.

“HYDRA doesn’t believe he’s dead, so Lady MaCaskill is still a target.” Steve nods. 

“Maybe she’ll be able to confirm Lord MaCaskill’s status.” After a brief pause. 

“Tell us about Lady MaCaskill, what do we know about her?” Steve asked. 

Natasha brings up a military file with the words CLASSIFIED marked all along it. The file had clearly been heavily redacted. She decided against bringing up the official Military pictures. They were the only pictures she was able to find on Rosalyn that had a complete headshot, and she didn’t want to chance Yasha recognizing her.

“Naval Officer Lieutenant Commander Rosalyn Hunt, AKA Lady Rosalyn MaCaskill had been working in Naval Intelligence for the past 10 years. As you can see from these files, she’s worked classified missions throughout her career and is highly decorated.”

“Rosalyn Hunt,” Steve mumbled to himself as he looked over the redacted documents on his StarkPad. “JARVIS?”

“Yes, Captain Rogers?” JARVIS replied.

“Is there any way to get the classified Military records of Lieutenant Commander Rosalyn Hunt? As well as her classified missions?” Steve asked.

“One moment please.” There was a pause before JARVIS continued. “Captain Rogers, I am able to retrieve Lieutenant Commander Hunt’s military records but am unable to breach her classified missions as it is on a closed off server separate from the military.”

“Okay, thank you JARVIS.”

“You are most welcome Captain Rogers.”

“Looks like she’s been stationed in England, Hawaii and D.C. She has also been deployed to two ships, Iraq and Afghanistan…”

“If I may interrupt? Agent Romanoff, Sergeant Barnes, Captain Rogers...” JARVIS interjected.

“Go ahead JARVIS.” Steve replied.

“Lieutenant Rosalyn Hunt is listed as one of the military members that was on Sir’s convoy when it was attacked by terrorists and he was captured.”

“She was there when Tony was captured?”

“Yes, Captain. She survived the attack with minor injuries. She requested to be a part of his search team feeding Lt. Colonel Rhodes intelligence as it came in and was with Lt. Colonel Rhodes’ team when Sir was found and triaged his various injuries.” JARVIS informed Steve.

“Calm under pressure, medical training and dedication. How did she meet Lord MaCaskill?”

“According to court records she married Lord James MaCaskill on March 31, 2010 and by all accounts it looks like they met in Afghanistan right before Tony’s capture in May 2009 at a military specialized training. They hit it off and were married within a year.” Natasha continued as she glanced through Rosalyn’s classified military record.

“Kind of impulsive. She reminds me of you Punk. Wait, who is this other dame? She’s in the majority of these pictures” Bucky comments pointing out a second female in the majority of the pictures who also looked to be avoiding head on face shots.

"According to military records that is her cousin and only living relative, Lieutenant Kaitlyn Hunt also in Naval Intelligence,” Natasha responds as Bucky continued to study the pictures on his StarkPad. Likely to be another wolf Natasha thought or possibly distant relative.

Bucky kept going back to the pictures of Kaitlyn and Rosalyn. _‘Why do they look so familiar?’_ He kept repeating to himself as he felt the sensation of a memory just beyond his reach, Steve speaking broke his concentration.

“Any other information we should know?” Steve asks, his gaze on the files on his StarkPad and like Bucky he kept going back to the pictures. He was drawn to the pictures of LCRD Hunt, she reminded him of _his_ Rosalyn.

“Lady MaCaskill and LT Hunt are fluent in several languages including English, Romanian, Russian, German, Spanish, Japanese, French, and Gaelic. As well as basic knowledge of several others.”

“That is impressive,” Bucky responded.

“Lady MaCaskill also has a bachelor’s degree in Intelligence as well as Nursing and is a registered Nurse.” Natasha told Steve trying not to watch Yasha study the pictures. 

_‘Maybe he’s remembering her’_ Natasha thought bitterly.

“And she’s a Naval Intelligence Officer instead of in the Nursing Corps?” Steve asked. He was slightly impressed.

“Yes, she received her degree in Nursing while in the Navy and became a registered Nurse. Also, according to her training records she has a laundry list of specialized Military training in weapons and hand-to-hand combat, it’s safe to assume she’s had training from other sources outside of the military. She is not someone you should underestimate. She is _not_ some helpless noblewoman.” Natasha warns Yasha and Steve.

“So how do we find her?” Bucky asked.

“Lady MaCaskill is currently stationed in D.C. at the Pentagon. I’ve already made arrangements with her secretary for a meeting with her tomorrow afternoon.”

“Do you need me to go with you?” Steve asked Natasha.

“Yes, just in case we need to grease some military wheels with Captain America or as backup if HYDRA decides to make an appearance.” Natasha responded with a nod.

At Natasha’s nod Bucky speaks up, “I can also go and do some recon and provide back-up, in case HYDRA shows up also if she’s as trained as you say... better to have more eyes out there.” As Bucky finishes the door to the conference room opens and in walks Labs Manager Darcy Lewis.

“Ooooh the Pentagon,” Darcy comments looking at the projected brief. 

“I’ve never been to the Pentagon before. Do you guys have a mission over there?” She asked, looking at the trio of Superheroes.

“Just a simple protection mission, hopefully nothing too dangerous” Steve told Darcy. For some reason, Steve and Bucky have always treated Darcy like a little sister. It was like she was a part of the pack even though she isn’t officially a part of the Avengers Pack.

“Think I can tag along? I have some family members stationed out in D.C. that I can see while you guys are out being all Superhero like.” Darcy asked.

“Of course, Darcy.” Steve replied indulgently, smiling at her as Bucky nodded in agreement before asking “Family?”

“Yeah, a couple of Packmates from before the Avenger madness. Rose and Kat are both military stationed out there somewhere last I heard. Granted it’s been a while since I’ve been able to talk to them. They don’t even know that Jane and I joined you guys here at Avengers Tower. Plus, I wasn’t able to visit them at their last duty station so it will be good to see them again especially with Rose losing James a few months ago.”

“Aw, I’m sorry to hear that Doll.” Bucky told her quietly.

“It might be a good idea to have another female in case we need the cover.” Natasha agreed reluctantly changing the subject.

“Awesome! Undercover work. _Oooh_ who are you protecting?” Darcy asks as she looks up at the screen.

“Lady Rosalyn MaCaskill, she isn’t classified as unfriendly, but she is probably still dangerous. Please steer clear if you see her.” Natasha told Darcy. 

Last thing Natasha wants is Darcy to be hurt, she had high hopes for her and Steve especially with both of them being unmated. She still couldn’t believe that he dumped Sharon, so what if she was a _little_ territorial. Perhaps, she made a mistake in helping Sharon to change Steve’s Emergency paperwork which included his Emergency Rut Companion paperwork. She thought it was a good idea that Sharon and Steve were a good fit, he _needs_ companionship. 

“Okay no problem I’ll avoid her. I need to go and pack! Oh and call Rose and Kat and see if they can meet me tomorrow.” Darcy replied.

She was actually really excited about the possibility of seeing Rose and Kat. She hadn’t seen her packmates in years and after what they went through when Thor landed it created a tight bond. She especially wanted to tell them about the sexy new Alpha that arrived at Avengers Tower. He had been a triple Agent within the SHIELDRA mess. _Agent Brock Rumlow_. He is so hot. She really liked him and she hoped that they could come up to New York soon to visit and meet him.

“Darce!” Steve called out as she started out of the room breaking her out of her thoughts of the sexy Brock Rumlow.

“Yes, Stevie?” She responded using Bucky’s usual nickname.

“Hold on don’t leave yet” He told her before addressing Natasha. 

“What time is the meeting with LCRD Hunt?” he asked as Darcy stopped in the doorway waiting.

“1300” Natasha responded.

“Darce, wheels up at 10. Try not to be late.” Steve told her grinning giving her some extra leeway, they probably wouldn’t leave till 1030 or 11 depending on how late she is. Darcy is _always_ late.

“Aye, aye Captain” she told him as she gave him a mock salute in agreement before saying “I can’t hear you?!” As she heads out the door with her phone in her hand, she yells out one more parting shot “Aye, aye Captain!”

“I understand that reference.” Steve replies, smiling at Bucky’s confusion. Steve’s enhanced hearing picked up on Darcy leaving a voicemail for her Packmate Rose.

“Rose, it's Darce. Looks like I’m going to be in D.C. tomorrow for the day, call me so we can hang out. You guys are still in D.C, right? I’m going to call Kat next. Love you!”

“Kat! I’m going to be in D.C. tomorrow!” was the last thing Steve heard before Darcy walked out of his hearing range. Bucky and Steve shared a grin before Natasha gestured to get their full attention.

“How likely is it that HYDRA is going to show up? It’s been six months since Lord MaCaskill’s alleged death.” Steve asked

“According to my resources, HYDRA chatter indicates that they should be making their move soon.” Natasha informs them. 

She figures they were trying to get the final confirmation that she was the Snow Siren before attempting to reacquire her. Steve nods at Natasha and they start coming up with possible plans and contingencies for when HYDRA inevitably shows up.

~~~~~~~~~

**  
The Next Day   
**  
Steve, Bucky, Natasha and Darcy leave for D.C. with plenty of time to spare especially with Darcy actually arriving on time. As Natasha piloted the Quinjet, Darcy regaled Steve and Bucky with stories of her Packmates Rose and Kat.

“And Thor’s buddy Fandral followed Rose around calling her _‘My Lady Wolf’_ offering to help her with _stress_ , not even caring that her husband and his best friend were right there watching him annoy the shit out of her.”

“Was he super upset Doll?” Bucky asked amused before jerking his elbow towards Steve “This Punk would have given him quite the talking to before...”

“ _SILENCE! I KILL YOU!_ ” Steve sassed back at Bucky before adding in “Jerk” and Bucky quietly replied “Punk”

“Nope. Never should have introduced you guys to Jeff Dunham. Now can I continue?”

“Sorry Darce.” Steve and Bucky apologized in unison before gesturing for her to continue.

“James really isn’t the jealous type and Wade wasn’t going to do anything without James’ go ahead anyhow. James always said, _‘I win’_ when it came to things like that.”

“Interesting motto.”

“He doesn’t really get jealous. Guys can and will flirt with Rose but he’s the one that gets to go home with her.”

“Valid point.”

“Anyways, it was Rose who finally lost it. She should have been born a redhead, she has a bit of a temper and a stubborn streak the size of Texas.”

“She sounds like this Punk,” Bucky replied pointing at Steve causing Darcy to laugh. 

Darcy paused a bit for dramatic effect before continuing. 

“She lit his ass on FIRE. Literally lit his ass on fire!”

“What?!” Bucky and Steve exclaimed.

“Watching him run around trying to put out the magically induced fire that only SHE could stop was a sight to see.” There was a moment of silence before both super soldiers lost it laughing so hard, they were having trouble breathing.

“Oh my god Darce, I can’t wait to meet this Rose! She reminds me of some of the dames we ran with back in Brooklyn.” Bucky told Darcy in between breaths of his remaining chuckles. Steve looked at Bucky wondering if he remembered Rosalyn and Kaitlyn but as the moment passed Darcy continued with her story.

“Kat finally told her to stop after he did six laps around the dealership. It was great, she made sure to only light his ass on fire so when she finally stopped there was an ass-sized hole in his clothes which gave everyone the perfect view of his ass. Not that he cared because hello Asgardian but it was awesome. After that Fandral followed Kat around trying to give her his utmost _thanks_.”

“Did Kat give in to Fandral’s... pursuits?” Steve asks

“Or did she light his ass on fire too!” Bucky jokes.

The memories were just out of reach, but Bucky vaguely remembers knowing someone who could control fire. He knew that if he tried too hard to remember something the memory would only slip away. He took a deep breath figuring the memory will come to him. He tries not to be frustrated with the progress of his memories, but he thinks that he’s forgetting something important.

“First, she doesn’t have the ability, not that she wouldn’t find a way…. But I’m not sure. It wasn’t long after that that the Destroyer arrived and attacked.”

“Guys, sorry to break up the party but ETA 5 minutes.” Natasha announced as the plane slowly started to descend into D.C.

After dropping Darcy off at the National Mall to play tourist and meet with her Packmates, they headed to the Pentagon. They let Bucky out of the car to start doing the parameter checks while Steve and Natasha go in to meet with LCDR Hunt. It was a good thing that they arrived so early, getting through the Pentagon’s security took a lot longer than expected but they were still about an hour early to the 1300 meeting.

“Good afternoon, we have a meeting schedule with LCRD Hunt at 1300. I know we are really early but could she see us now?” Natasha asked the young female Naval Officer whose name tag said Ensign Kent. She was obviously LCRD Hunt’s secretary.

“Name?” She asked.

“Ms. Natasha Romanoff and this is my partner Captain Steve Rogers.” Natasha introduced hoping that throwing out Captain America’s name would get them through the door quicker.

“Ca-Captain Steve Rogers? As in Captain America?”

“Yes. Steve please. Pleased to meet you Ensign Kent, Ma’am.” Steve told her. 

He took in a deep breath as he held out his hand to shake giving her his _‘aw shucks’_ look that got him out of trouble more times than he could count. Steve was mildly surprised to find a young female wolf as LCDR Hunt’s secretary, back in his day not many female wolves choose the military life and it was one of those things that hadn’t really changed with time.

“I’m so sorry Captain Rogers but I can’t just call you Steve. Protocol.” Ensign Kent told him blushing as she shook his hand. It wasn’t often that she got to meet her childhood hero, plus he was one of the most famous Alpha wolves out there.

“I’m not Active duty anymore Ensign Kent.” Steve replied.

“That is true sir but you are still an Alpha and will always outrank me. Besides, while I majored in Cyber Operations at the Naval Academy I minored in Naval and Military History. You and the Howling Commandos were a large part of my curriculum and I did quite a few research papers on you guys.”

“ _That_ will never _not_ be weird,” Steve tells Natasha while flashing a boyish grin to ENS Kent.

“Actually, my final research paper that I did on the Howling Commandos is the reason that I ended up working for LCDR Hunt.”

“Really?” Steve asked interested to know more about LCDR Hunt.

“Yes, I was 1 out of 26 Ensigns that applied for the job…”

“26 Ensigns applied for the job?” Natasha interrupted. ENS Kent turned away from Steve to look at Natasha before responding.

“Yes, as long as you work hard and do your time, LCDR Hunt is pretty well known for mentoring and helping to advance her assistant’s careers. I believe she says if you can handle her and James’ brand of crazy you can handle it all.” ENS Kent told them smiling at LCDR Hunt and her late husband’s antics.

“So, you applied for the job?” Steve asked, trying to get back on topic, he wanted to know how a research paper got her the job.

“Yes, I came in for the in-person interview with LCRD Hunt and after going through all my non-existent qualifications because I was just out of the academy. We touched on my education and ended up spending an hour talking about my research into the Howling Commandos.”

“I take it LCDR Hunt is a Howling Commandos fan?” Natasha asks. She finds the possibility very amusing since Rosalyn was once a part of the KGB but it would make things a little easier when it came to extracting her as long as Steve does the talking.

“I believe the Howling Commandos is a large part of her master’s degree Dissertation, really though I think we bonded a little over our Howling Commandos knowledge.”

“That’s interesting, thank you.”

“Of course, Captain Rogers.”

“Is LCRD Hunt also a wolf?” Steve asked.

“Yes, sir. She is one of the few Alpha females in the area.”

“Interesting. I know we got distracted but could LCDR Hunt see us early?” Steve asked. ENS Kent stared a little at Steve curious to know why he asked if LCRD Hunt was a wolf.

“ENS Kent?” Natasha prompted grabbing her attention. Being such a powerful Alpha wolf, Steve tended to pull in everyone human and wolf alike which was both helpful and a hindrance.

“Of course. Please, this way. You can wait in her office, she’s due to be back from the gym any minute.” ENS Kent replied, leading them into LCDR Hunt’s office.

The first thing Steve noticed was the lack of scent commenting to Natasha, “I don’t smell any trace of ENS Kent or LCDR Hunt’s scents which is strange since this is probably where they spend most of their time.”

“Yes, the Pentagon has one of the best air filtration systems outside of Stark Industries and Avengers Tower.” Natasha responded. 

Natasha looked at a framed old Captain America WWII Propaganda Tour poster. Natasha noticed the only personality that shows in the office was the occasional Captain America WWII Propaganda memorabilia. Looked like Lady MaCaskill is in fact a Captain America fan unless she is studying him to figure out his weaknesses. She believed it probably the more likely option, all a part of the KGB training they both received so long ago. 

Natasha also noted the lack of personal effects and pictures which made complete sense. Without the name tag that was on the desk there would be no way to know that this is LCRD Hunt’s desk. Steve stops looking around as the sound of someone new entering the office, hoping that it was Rosalyn but his hopes were dashed as an obviously male voice is heard. Natasha watches Steve as ENS Kent and the mysterious man talk, her enhanced hearing picking up bits and pieces.

~~~~~~~

**  
LCDR Hunt’s Office  
**  
“Heeelllllooooo Andrea. Where is the delectable Rosalyn? Is she in?” Carter asked.

As the Pack Leader and Alpha Male Carter was constantly in contact with Rosalyn as the temporary Pack healer. He was trying to figure out the best way to get her to become a permanent member of his Pack, preferably as his Mate. He was trying to give her the time to grieve the loss of her husband before talking to her about issuing a mating suit. Thankfully, circumstances had changed three months ago when Rosalyn had been challenged by another female who wanted to be his Mate. 

“Mr. Baizen… Alpha.” ENS Kent started with a deep breath before she was interrupted.

“Andrea, I asked you to stop calling me Mr. Baizen. That’s my father and he was an asshole and there’s no need to call me Alpha here.” Carter says with an easy smile with a hint of authority. 

He doesn’t want any government officials to realize that he’s anything more than a high-ranking government employee who’s a _‘playboy’_ and flirts with everyone. While the government is aware of the existence of shifters, he doesn’t want to endanger his Pack. He was responsible for their well-being and he took that responsibility seriously. 

“Right, Carter… LCRD Hunt is currently out of the office.” ENS Kent responded.

This was one of the downsides of working for LCDR Hunt ENS Kent reflected. She was constantly around really powerful wolves. As a powerful Alpha female, LCDR Hunt tends to attract powerful males whose power can be a little painful to the average wolf. Since the loss of James, the powerful Alphas seem to be coming out of the woodwork trying to gain LCDR Hunt as a Mate. Thankfully, LCDR Hunt’s power doesn’t sting like Alpha Carter Baizen, probably because she is a healer.

“Damn, I was hoping she’d be up for a late lunch. Where is she? Is she due to be back soon?” Carter really wanted to talk to her about staying with the Pack. Not only was she beautiful and deadly watching her fight is a sight but having a healer in the Pack is always a bonus.

“Yes, sir. She’s at the Gym teaching her self-defense course and she’s due to be back soon but she has her appointment and will be heading out for the event.” She replied slightly gesturing over towards LCDR Hunt’s office door.

“Right, Pearl Harbor. Please have her call me as soon as she gets in.”

“Yes, Alp-Carter.” ENS Kent replied with that almost slip Carter cocks his head to the right studying ENS Andrea Kent. Carter is surprised since normally the Ensign is completely composed when dealing with him every time that he comes to see Rosalyn. 

He knows that Rosalyn gets a lot of Alpha visitors, so he knows that Andrea has had quite a bit of exposure to the powerful. He usually tries to control his powers so that he doesn’t affect the lesser wolves, the least powerful you are the more you are affected by those who are really powerful. So, either he is failing or there are outside factors. Carter stepped in a little closer in concern dropping his playboy persona, slipping into his Pack Leader mentality.

“Andrea, is everything okay? You are normally more composed than this…” Carter asked voice dropping in concern making sure to dial back his power level.

“Yes, sir. I think having two such powerful Alphas in one place is getting to me, my apologies Sir…” ENS Kent responded, dropping her voice to a low volume knowing that both Alphas could hear her. 

“Ah, Rosalyn's upcoming appointment I take it?” He asked.

“Yes, sir.” She responded as Captain Rogers walked out of LCDR Hunt’s inner office.

“Good Afternoon, Captain Steve Rogers.” Steve greeted the newcomer.

“Ah yes, Captain Rogers… Carter Baizen Pack Leader of the Washington D.C. Pack” Carter replied shaking his hand. While he wouldn’t normally introduce himself so formally but a powerful Alpha such as Captain America deserves the respect.

“Pleasure to meet you Mr. Baizen” Steve responded tilting his head to the side in respect as they heard people starting to walk by, normally he’d address him as Alpha Baizen but with people walking nearby he didn’t want to blow his cover.

“Carter, please.” He responded nodding his thanks.

“Then you must call me Steve.”

“I take it you are here to see Rosalyn?”

“Yes, we have an appointment at 1300.” Steve replied.

Carter raised his eyebrows at the word we, he glanced towards Rosalyn’s inner office curiously but whoever else is supposed to be at the meeting remained stubbornly out of sight and he couldn't smell anything with the scent scrubbers the Pentagon used. In order to keep the peace. He doesn’t press for answers, this isn’t his office.

“Well, I suppose I should leave you to it. Andrea, please let me know if you need anything and have Rosalyn call me, I suppose we’ll have to do lunch another time.”

“Yes, Sir.” Ensign Kent responded. She was slightly baffled at how painstakingly polite both Alphas were.

“It was nice to meet you, Steve. I’m sure I’ll see you again.”

“Likewise, Carter.” Steve responded as Carter walked out the door with a wide smile.

“I’m sorry if I’ve made you uncomfortable ENS Kent, I’ll try to dial the power level back down.” Steve told her. 

As he wandered back over to LCDR Hunt’s inner office Natasha stops her tour around the office at the sound of the phone. It was outside the office and they could hear ENS Kent answer the phone. Both Steve and Natasha turn towards the door to try to listen. They are only able to hear ENS Kent’s side of the conversation but it sounded as though it was LCDR Hunt.

“Good afternoon, LCDR Hunt’s office, this is ENS Kent speaking. How may I help you sir or ma’am?” ENS Kent spoke into the phone, pausing as she heard the response.

“Good afternoon, ma’am. How was your class?” ENS Kent asked, she has taken a couple of versions of the self-defense class LCRD Hunt teaches. She has one that is for humans and one she tailored specifically for shifters, she loved them both.

“Yes, ma’am.” She responded and listened to the directions LCDR Hunt gave out before debriefing her on the latest developments taking care to not mention any Pack business over the phone.

“Mr. Baizen came by and asked for you to call him whenever you get in and your 1300 appointment has arrived early and is waiting in your office.” She informed LCDR Hunt pausing to listen to her responses.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, is everything okay?” ENS Kent both loved and hated when LCDR got called out for a medical emergency. That usually means an early day but usually involves a lot of paperwork.

“Okay, I’m sure I’ll see you later tonight or on Monday, have a good day ma’am,” ENS Kent finished up. 

She hung up the phone before walking back towards the office clearly intending to talk to Ms. Romanoff and Captain Rogers. Damn, she really hated giving bad news but what can one do except her job? Part of her job is shuffling things around to make things easier for LCDR Hunt especially when medical emergencies pop up. 

“Ms. Romanoff. Captain Rogers. LCDR Hunt was on her way in but was unexpectedly called out for an emergency situation.”

“An emergency? Any idea on when she will be back?” Steve asked, putting a little persuasion in his voice to hopefully get a little bit more information than what the ENS would normally share.

“No, Sir. She just said it was a medical emergency, Ms. Romanoff was supposed to be her last meeting of the day.”

“Did she have anything planned after our meeting?” 

“She was going to leave the office early to lead the set up for the Pearl Harbor Memorial Event that she organized, it is taking place tonight at the Officer’s Club.” ENS Kent told them as she picked up a flyer from behind her desk and handed it over for them to look at.

“Is LCDR Hunt planning on attending the Pearl Harbor Memorial Event tonight?” Natasha asked so they could also attend. Then she could contact the so-called Mate of the Winter Soldier.

“Yes, Ma’am. She is planning on going to the event tonight in an authentic WWII Women’s Uniform. I don’t know where LCDR and LT Hunt found them but they look amazing.”

“Is an authentic dress required?”

“No, ma’am. It is a semi-formal event and authentic dress is not required. According to LCDR Hunt and I quote _‘why go to a period event and not look the part?’_ and I have to say, she’s not wrong.”

“Are there tickets still available?” Steve asked.

“Yes, Sir. Tickets can be bought online, by phone or in person at these locations” she replied pointing down at the bottom of the flyer.

“That’s great!” He could break out his old dress uniform for this event, well his old _‘new’_ dress uniform and he was fairly sure that Tony had a replica of Bucky’s uniform made. 

Granted, he isn’t sure if Natasha has anything appropriate but he’s sure Tony can be of some help in this area as well. He really shouldn’t be so excited but it would be nice to see things from his time. As Steve and Natasha started to walk out of the office Natasha remembered LT Kaitlyn Hunt, Lady MaCaskill’s _cousin_. Natasha turned towards ENS Kent to ask about LT Hunt. It was possible that they might be able to talk to her and find out Lady MaCaskill’s actual whereabouts.

“ENS Kent, do you happen to know if LT Kaitlyn Hunt is around?” Natasha asked.

“Sorry Ms. Romanoff I don’t have access to LT Hunt’s schedule.” ENS Kent responded.

“Do you have a number we can reach her at?” Steve asked.

“Of course, Captain. I’ve had to call her a few times for the LCDR.” ENS Kent told him as she started to write down the number for him.

As she handed the piece of paper with LT Hunt’s number Natasha grabbed it, gesturing that she would make the call. As they left the Pentagon, Steve heard Natasha leaving LT Hunt a voicemail as Steve contacted Tony and Bucky about the change in plans and the addition of the Pearl Harbor Memorial event. As soon as Bucky agreed to attend the Pearl Harbor event, he had Tony arrange their tickets and their uniforms be sent for the night. 

Steve, Bucky and Natasha started to come up with possible plans and contingencies in contacting LCDR Hunt. The big thing is trying to get her alone to brief her on the situation and hopefully get her to agree to protective custody. Steve is sure that once she hears that HYDRA is after her, she will _want_ to be protected. But as a Female Alpha Wolf she might want to take care of it herself or with the aid of her Pack. As the time for the event got closer Steve left to get his haircut to be within military regulations. 

He felt it was appropriate as he was about to put on his military uniform while Bucky and Natasha started on their hair. Bucky put his long hair back in a bun or as Darcy called it _‘the man-bun’_ , to give the illusion of short hair and Natasha put her hair in loose victory rolls. Once he got back, they got dressed in their authentic WWII uniforms while Natasha put on her period dress. 

They made sure to grab their comms to make sure to keep in contact and whoever contacts LCDR Hunt first is supposed to inform the others. Steve grabbed his specialty made case that was created to hide his shield during undercover missions. Really, it just looked like a really large art bag. He tries to channel his inner Art student from back in the day and he always made sure to bring his non-prescription glasses to really help sell the image.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are going to start heating up, Rosalyn and Kaitlyn should be making their appearances the next chapter and the history between the Winter Soldier and The Snow Siren will be better explained.


End file.
